The Story of How I Became a Vampire
by ladeesarah001
Summary: Since the Great Revelation there are even more rules for vampires to follow; it is no longer acceptable for humans to simply go missing. When Malcolm kidnaps a human and holds them captive, it is up to Eric to pass judgement. Full summary inside.
1. Attracted

**THE STORY OF HOW I BECAME A VAMPIRE**

Since the Great Revelation there are even more rules for vampires to follow. It is no longer acceptable for humans to simply go missing. When Malcolm abducts a young woman and holds her captive it is up to Eric to pass judgement. This is the story of how a young woman, Adrienne, became a vampire. It chronicles her abduction and turning, how she adapts to being a vampire, and finally how she is thrust into vampire politics.

Author: ladeesarah001  
Category: True Blood  
Rating: M (mature themes)  
Setting: Season one / AU-Alternative Universe  
Characters: Eric, Godric, OC-Original character, Pam  
Published: September 21, 2009**  
**Completed: No

NOTES: I expect each part to be short, no more than 1,000 words. I intend to tell the story using little snippets from different points of view as narration. While the story is primarily based in the world created by the television series, elements from Charlaine Harris' books are present.

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Disclaimer: True Blood (including its recipe) does not belong to me, we have to thank Charlaine Harris and Alan Ball for that, however, Adrienne and much of this plot is mine.

**Part I – Attracted**

Malcolm's POV

Diane was a young vampire, barely 80 years old, striking in appearance and ferocious in personality. She had coffee coloured skin, something that was very unusual and exotic for a vampire, and wild tastes to match her hair. My other nest mate, Liam, was even younger. Liam is just as striking as Diane, but for completely different reasons. The vampire was covered in tattoos. They acted as both a help and a hindrance when trying to attract a meal; some humans loved them while others hated them. Fangbangers loved them though. The tattoos made him look _scary_ so the bloodbags flocked to his side. A tattooed vampire was all the better for flirting with death apparently.

Tonight I was seated in a booth at the vampire bar Fangtasia. In my hands I toyed with an empty bottle of True Blood, the hideous concoction that had allowed vampires to _come out_ and also satisfied our dietary needs; it tasted vile. The bar was decorated in black and rich blood reds with pictures of all the grossly inaccurate depictions of vampires from Hollywood movies. Filled with hot and sweaty bloodbags, who desired little more than to catch a glimpse of a vampire, the bar was vastly unappealing. Fangtasia was however, owned by Eric Northman the sheriff of this area of Louisiana, area five. In return for permission to reside in the area Eric requires that I appear for no less than fifteen hours a month at his bar and allow the tourists to ogle me. The tourists and fangbangers made the chore very nearly intolerable, but there were worse sheriffs.

After fulfilling my obligations at Fangtasia for the evening I started home. My nest mates had kept me amused for decades, but tonight something new caught my interest. I spotted the most delectable human I'd seen in centuries. She walked along the sidewalk with the self-assuredness that was common in this decade, wearing four inch heels that were equally as plentiful. Her thick and slightly wavy golden blonde hair fell to just below her shoulders and seemed to glow in the moonlight. The colour enhanced by the classic yet modest knee-length dress she wore. _Mine_, the thought reverberated through my mind with incredible force.

Before the Great Revelation I wouldn't have thought twice about snatching this woman from the street and erasing her from the world. Her only futures were to either become a corpse in a back alley somewhere or a companion of mine for all eternity. Either way, she would not be seen nor heard of by her family and friends ever again. Now, however, there were rules to follow. Eric would not be pleased if I didn't follow them. Then again, I am very old, though not as old as the Viking; I will do what pleases me.

Darting forward at vampire speed I grabbed the woman from behind, clamping a hand over her mouth to muffle the inevitable screams. From this proximity her sweet blood calls to me and her futile struggles only serve to stir up my predatory instincts. Inhaling deeply of the skin at the base of her neck I am torn from my reflections by a slender elbow thrust into my ribs; annoying. Obviously, the human sought to injure me, but I knew that she caused far more damage to herself in her attempt.

This woman's spirit made her more troublesome to subdue, but it also increased my interest in her exponentially. It had been some time since I had had a human with so much fight; perhaps I wouldn't bother to glamour her? Her ineffectual struggles were becoming a bore and an inconvenience so I gave her a sharp tap on the head rendering her unconscious; subsequently it was much easier to toss her on the backseat of my car.

After depositing her unceremoniously on a dusty bed in a part of the house that could be easily secured, I made certain that Diane and Liam understood, in no uncertain terms, that she was _mine_. Settling in a chair to wait for her to awaken I amused myself by going through her purse. There wasn't much to see: makeup, a mobile phone, a handful of business cards, and half a packet of something that would supposedly soothe a sore throat. Flicking through the business cards there was one for a restaurant, Litaliano; it reminded me that I would have to feed my new toy. Once located, her driver's licence informed me that her name was Adrienne Forster. Adrienne was not a common name at the moment.

Finally, impatience won out and I shook the human in an attempt to rouse her. She didn't stir. Not that it mattered; she didn't necessarily have to be awake for me to enjoy her company.

Sitting on the edge of the bed I smoothed her hair before tracing a finger along her jaw and across her collar bones. Slowly, seductively, my fingers trailed their way down her arm until I held her hand in my own and raising it to my lips I kissed her hand before sucking one of her fingers into my mouth. A glance at her face confirmed that she was still unconscious, despite my ministrations. Breaking the skin with my fangs that had run out ages ago, I began to slowly suck her finger. The drops of sweet blood that caressed my tongue were a paradox to the synthetic True Blood I had been drinking earlier tonight. Closing my eyes to bask in the pleasurable sensation I sucked harder, resisting the urge to enlarge the wound, I stayed mindful of the fact I couldn't take too much blood without weakening her. I would need her to stay strong if I wished to enjoy her struggles when she helped me take care of the situation her blood had evoked. Her blood type was AB negative, unless I was mistaken, it was the rarest and I had always found it to be the most arousing.

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**A/N:** So there's part one. Hopefully it is suitably creepy, I thought Malcolm was creepy when I watched the series. Leave me a review and share your thoughts. Like? Dislike? Creeped out? Let me know :)


	2. Abused

Disclaimer: True Blood (including its recipe) does not belong to me, we have to thank Charlaine Harris and Alan Ball for that, however, Adrienne and much of this plot is mine.

**WARNING!** The content of this chapter may make some readers uncomfortable. You will not miss any major plot elements that cannot be deduced later by skipping this chapter.

**Part II – Abused**

Adrienne's POV

Become a CPA, a Chartered Practicing Accountant, and you'll go places the advertisement had said. Well, I fell hook, line, and sinker for that one! What they mean is: become a CPA and you'll get to do the same boring thing day after day, just in different places. Truth be told, I liked money, I liked math and numbers, and I liked organising – I liked accounting. I'd just had a bad day; I wasn't used to the Louisiana heat and its side effects. Finishing up dripping wet with sweat every time I stepped outside I could handle, but it's just gross having to be near anyone else in the same state of dampness.

I'd taken to walking in the evenings since I had come to Louisiana; it wasn't quite so stiflingly hot. Tonight I was out much later than usual because a business dinner had gone much longer than anticipated. It left me wandering the streets of Shreveport, alone, in a beautiful knee-length dress and four inch heels. Without this walk I wouldn't be able to sleep so I pressed on, only three more blocks before I reached my rental car and I could drive myself back to my hotel.

Without any warning I was grabbed from behind and a large hand covered my mouth. I struggled and fought with all of my might, but nothing I did seemed to make any difference. Before something hard hit my head, knocking me out, I heard a sigh.

**- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -**

When I woke up there was a dull throbbing in my head; I would probably have a concussion. Focusing on the ceiling I could just make out a pattern of cracks that didn't seem at all familiar in the dully lit room. I didn't know where I was. Turning my attention back to assessing my injuries I noted a strange sensation in one of my arms. It was a painful, yet pleasurable euphoria. The feeling was unlike anything I had ever experienced. Starting just above my elbow there was a faint tugging inside my arm, getting progressively stronger until it reached the tip of one of my fingers.

"You're awake," a cool voice noted from somewhere beside me.

I hadn't realised that I wasn't alone. Too scared to actually move, I shifted my eyes so that I could look in the direction of the voice.

"You are a delicious little thing."

I didn't say anything.

"Nothing to say?" the voice asked in a mocking tone.

I tried to hold perfectly still.

"Scared perhaps?" the voice asked. "You are. I can hear your heart racing. It is as though it is trying to escape from the confines of your chest. Should we help it?"

My eyes widened in fear.

"Such beautiful skin," the voice murmured.

A cool finger started at my chin and traced along my throat, my décolletage, and finally down into the valley between my breasts. If this were a lovers touch I would be shivering in anticipation, but in response to this, my body started to convulse I was shaking so badly. Closing my eyes, I waited for the finger to cease its exploration of my body. Somewhere in the recesses of my mind I clung to the knowledge that it would have to stop when it reached my dress. It didn't. When the finger met the material it sliced right through, parting the fabric effortlessly, as though it were a curtain of water. My bra was dispatched with similar ease. For the briefest of moments my chest was bare and exposed, before a cool hand latched onto one of my breasts and started kneading. I shuddered as a thumb brushed across my taut nipple.

Trying to ignore the jolts of pleasure being sent through my body I returned my focus to the cause of the strange sensation stemming from my finger. Looking over I saw a pale man with dark hair sucking gently, but persistently on my finger. Sluggish, due to the unwelcomed assault on my senses, it took a moment for me to process why the image was wrong; why the sensation produced by the sucking was wrong. He was taking my blood. Vampire, I diagnosed belatedly.

This realisation kicked my fight-or-flight response into overdrive, I started thrashing on the bed. In the instant I started to move the hand toying with my breasts flattened to press my body firmly into the bed, effectively I was just flailing my arms and legs. Too fast for me to register the vampire was suddenly straddling my body, pressing himself into me. A moment later I lay naked beneath him on the bed.

He paused for a moment looking at the shredded dress, just now tossed into a corner of the room.

"Pity, it was rather fetching."

The vampire continued to touch, stroke, caress, and tease my body. Pressing the length of his body against mine, he leaned forward to whisper things in my ear, my horror stricken brain unable to process what he was saying. What I perceived to be an eternity had passed when I felt something building in the pit of my stomach. Realisation of what was happening struck and I caught myself wishing he'd just bite me and be done with it. No such reprieve came and the sickening pleasure-torture continued to stoke the fire that was building within me. Using everything at my disposal I fought against the feeling. It was to no avail and my body slumped in defeat as it shuddered, a powerful orgasm sending my muscles into frenzied spasms. I started to cry in reply to my body's weakness and caught myself wondering at the miracle that I had only just started to cry.

"Now, now, don't cry," the vampire crooned as he forced himself into my body.

Finally, I got my wish as the vampire sunk his fangs into my neck and started to draw blood, however, it was nothing like I expected. I expected pain. In actuality the act sent even more intense waves of pleasure crashing through my body and I felt another orgasm begin to build. The confusion of waking up in this surreal situation, the pleasure my body was feeling, and the invasion of the vampire's unwelcome presence as he thrust powerfully into my body made coherent thought impossible. I felt sordid, disgusted with myself, and betrayed by my own body. I wanted desperately to rile against what was being done to me, while another more logical and calculating part of my brain warned me to stay passive; I couldn't fight off a vampire.

When my body was too weak and tired to fight back, the vampire seemed to realise, or remember, that I needed to eat. He disappeared from the room only to reappear moments later was a sandwich in hand. Thrusting the plate towards me, the vampire stood and looked down at me, he obviously expected me to eat. A wave of nausea swept through my body and I pushed the plate aside, attempting to drag my body away from the vampire.

"You have to eat."

I didn't respond.

"You _will_ eat. I need you strong."

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**A/N:** This chapter hasn't come out quite as I meant it to, I'm not entirely happy with it. I've never written anything along these lines before though so I'm not about to be too picky. R&R.

While Adrienne hasn't actually said (verbalised the word) "no" and she also experiences pleasure, the events in this chapter constitute rape. Firstly, the taking of her blood, and secondly, the sexual assault. The feelings associated with this kind of assault are traumatic and it's important to seek out support.  
** ::** Australia: National Domestic Abuse and Sexual Assault Helpline, 1800 200 526  
**::** Great Britain: Victim Supportline, 0845 30 30 900  
**:: **United States: National Sexual Assault Hotline, 1800 656 HOPE


	3. Enraged

Disclaimer: True Blood (including its recipe) does not belong to me, we have to thank Charlaine Harris and Alan Ball for that, however, Adrienne and much of this plot is mine.

**Part III – Enraged**

Pam's POV

Fangtasia had just been closed up, all the other workers both human and vampire had gone home, only Eric and I remained at the bar. My duties dispensed for the night, rather than leaving, I sought out Eric. He had spent most of the night in his office and would require a quick briefing on that night's activity at the bar. As I entered the office Eric began his questioning.

"Has everyone been fulfilling their duties?" Eric asked.

"All except Malcolm," I replied, attempting to keep my smirk hidden. It was a wasted effort, Eric always knew, but the attempt was a half hearted show of respect nonetheless.

"Has he given a reason for his absence?" Eric didn't even look up from his papers. Malcolm's insubordination wasn't noteworthy enough for him to abandon the sample designs for new Fangtasia merchandise.

"No."

"What about his nest mates Diane and Liam?"

"They are fulfilling their commitments, although they still have a few hours to fill this month. I expect them to come into the bar in the next few nights."

"They were alone? Hmm, we'll have to see if they know where Malcolm is."

"Perhaps he's sick?"

**- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -**

As I suspected, a few nights later Diane and Liam walked into the bar. After checking IDs for another half hour or so I traded places with Clancy and went into the bar. Locating them in a corner, surrounded by humans, I sauntered over and greeted them with a nod.

By the time Eric made it onto the floor and took his place on his throne I had the information he desired from Diane and Liam. Taking my place just behind his shoulder I joined Eric in surveying the bar.

"Diane är här," I informed him even though he could see as much himself. _(Diane is here.)_

"Något bra skvaller?" he matched my conversational tone. _(Any good gossip?)_

"Ja, Malcolm ett husdjur," I told him. Daily monotonies rarely interested me anymore, but I knew that the reason for Malcolm's absence would pique Eric's interest. _(Yes, Malcolm has a pet.)_

"Ett husdjur?" Eric asked, unable to maintain his previous level of indifference. _(A pet?)_

"En människa," I elaborated. _(A human.)_

"En människa?" he mused, he was definitely interested now. _(A human?)_

"Så det verkar." _(So it would seem.)_

With a slight inclination of his head he summoned Diane. She was quick to acquiesce.

"Sheriff," she greeted Eric.

"Diane," he acknowledged her. "Pam and I were just commenting that we hadn't seen Malcolm for some weeks."

"I am part of his nest and _I_ have barely seen him," Diane said. "All of his time is occupied by his new human pet."

"A pet. What are they like?" Eric asked, keeping his words free of any traces of his intense interest.

"No, he doesn't share her," Diane scoffed. "We hardly see her, except through the door occasionally, we hear her though," she added with a sadistic laugh. Diane was inadvertently making it clear to Eric that this human was being held against their will.

"How long has he had the human?" Eric asked carelessly.

"A couple of weeks at least," Diane gossiped, "Liam and I are taking bets on how much longer she lasts."

Another tiny movement from Eric dismissed Diane and she rejoined Liam. I could sense from Eric's posture that he was tense and agitated, but it wasn't until after Diane and Liam had left with three humans in two that he made any comment.

"Förbanna honom!" _(Curse him!)_

I knew as well as Eric did that holding a human against their will like this was incredibly risky, especially since the Great Revelation. If anything went wrong and the humans discovered that she had been taken by a vampire, much less abused, then the consequences would be dire. While few, if any, vampires actually cared if the odd human went missing many of us cared about our public image; we enjoyed being able to move about freely.

Eric was just as ruthless as the next vampire, if not more, but he lived by a strict code. Abusing a woman was decidedly against this code. He was enraged not only by the abuse of the human woman, but also by Malcolm's blatant disrespect of his authority. When Eric found Malcolm he would pay dearly. The fate of the human woman was less certain, however. Eric may kill her outright or give Malcolm the option of turning her. Soft was the only way to describe Eric's attitude towards women. Just look at Thalia, she was volatile and a liability. Eric may even glamour the woman, rather than killing her, if he can invent an explanation for her time in captivity.

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**A/N:** Yay, Eric has made an appearance, the next part is in his point-of-view. If you've made it to the author's note and still not worked it out english translations of the swedish are in brackets at the end of the sentences. Done using an online translator so I appologise for the inevitable errors.

**R&R!**


	4. Insubordination

Disclaimer: True Blood (including its recipe) does not belong to me.

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**Part IV – Insubordination**

Eric's POV

Malcolm's insubordination was unacceptable. The fact that it could be traced back to a human only served to further the insult. There were rules and Malcolm knew those rules. He would be forced to realise the consequences of his actions. It was almost a pity that there weren't any vampire laws prohibiting the abuse of humans; it would have been useful in this situation. As it was, under vampire law, the only thing Malcolm had done wrong was to disobey his sheriff. A considerable offence, but my options for reprisal were limited. I could banish him from my area; I could torture him; I could even place restrictions and conditions on his movement and business activities, but those options weren't enough and they didn't benefit me.

Nothing was ever enough for Malcolm. There existed an endless supply of humans who threw themselves at vampires. Seeking our presence; seeking to be bitten. If Malcolm wished to take a human pet, he could have easily taken one of these. Instead, he had to go and take one from the street. There was probably a missing persons report filed and her family and friends would be searching for her. If she was staying in or near Shreveport, then Fangtasia would automatically be implicated by the zealots. It was almost laughable; for once they would be correct in their assumptions and their finger pointing. However, if anything that would substantiate those claims made it into the hands of the human authorities then this would quickly deteriorate into a PR nightmare that even the eternally bland Nan Flanagan couldn't salvage.

Taking the human was one thing, but Malcolm was being exceptionally reckless. The accounts that Pam had extracted from Diane and Liam suggested that Malcolm had not glamoured the human woman. Why would he not glamour her?

It was difficult not to slip into my memories of centuries past at that rumination. I could recall times when my preferred feeding method was to glamour a human into following me and once we were in an isolated place, I would free them from my thrall so that I could savour their terror as well as their blood. But, times had changed.

I had been a predator, killing on a whim, for nigh on 1,000 years. Even before I became vampire I had been a killer, but I always had a purpose. In battle I killed to attain victory and glory and as a vampire I killed to obtain food. I had never understood the need to torment one's prey, one's food. Any terror my prey may have felt was never exacerbated by my actions. I simply enjoyed the terror when they realised how imminent their death was.

What Malcolm was doing was wrong. Vanärande. _(Dishonourable.)_ I was shocked that such an ethical and principled notion still existed inside of me, but it did. I was less surprised, however, when I realised my reaction was far less outraged when I imagined the human to be a male. Still, the entire situation made me furious; someone was going to pay dearly for this. I would trap them in a net so tight that they would be paying for centuries to come.

It was hard to tell what angered me the most, the insubordination or the abuse of the human. I must be going soft…

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**A/N:** This part is _**super**_ short, I know, but this is how long this part is. *shrugs* Part V is written so I'll post it very soon and not make you wait too long. R&R.


	5. Noose

Disclaimer: True Blood (including its recipe) does not belong to me, we have to thank Charlaine Harris and Alan Ball for that, however, Adrienne and much of this plot is mine.

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**Part V - Noose**

Eric's POV

"Malcolm, we've missed you at Fangtasia," I greeted him, leaving no room for him to misinterpret the motivations behind my visit.

"Sheriff," he acknowledge me, using my title.

"So, you must have been detained by something urgent to neglect your obligations at Fangtasia," I continued. The question was: would Malcolm dare to lie to me?

"Yes, it was," Malcolm fell into my obvious trap. The noose tightened. "However, it has been dealt with and I was planning on visiting Fangtasia tomorrow to start making up the time I've missed."

"Urgent," using a mocking tone, I casually threw the word into the air. "I know that humans are fragile and have limited life spans, but I've never considered them to be urgent. Or is their name Urgent? Humans name their offspring the most ridiculous things at present."

"Urgent was your word not mine," Malcolm tried to backtrack, realising his mistake.

"So it was," I agreed, loosening the noose somewhat. "But, you don't deny that you are keeping a human?"

"No, of course not," Malcolm replied quickly.

"Excellent," the noose tightened again, "then they will accompany you to Fangtasia tomorrow evening."

Malcolm paused, searching for a way to deny my request. There was none. Considering Malcolm's age he was incredibly dim.

"Is there a problem?" I asked Malcolm, revelling in the other vampire's discomfort.

"No, of course not sheriff," I could see him floundering in his mind for an excused, a way out.

"Is this human one I've seen before?" I asked Malcolm, loosening the noose once again. "Surely, they have visited Fangtasia."

"I'm not sure."

"So you didn't meet them at Fangtasia?" I pressed; agonisingly slowly I was tightening the noose again.

"No, I didn't meet them at Fangtasia," Malcolm conceded, he was starting to worry again.

"Then where did you find a willing human if not at a vampire bar," I asked bluntly.

Malcolm paused, again.

"Malcolm, they _are_ willing?" I questioned, even though I already knew the answer. Surely, by now, even Malcolm would know that I knew the answer to this question before I arrived this evening.

Still, Malcolm said nothing. Realistically there was nothing he could say. The noose was now _very _tight.

"Malcolm, I am sure that you are aware how precarious our position is with the humans at the moment. The majority of them, rightly, do not trust us. Our Queen enjoys being able to flaunt her vampire nature, and so, she has ordered us to remain inconspicuous and not incite the natives. Holding a human against their will does not follow this edict."

Frozen in place, Malcolm remained silent. Yes, he had finally realised how much trouble he was in.

"Show me the human," I commanded.

"But, sheriff," he belatedly started to protest.

"As your sheriff I command it, show me the human," I repeated, my stare turning hard and icy.

Malcolm led me down a corridor and, unbolting a solid wood door, he gestured for me to enter. With a cursory glance I located the human. She was damaged and incredibly weak, so weak that her attempts to shift herself away from Malcolm and myself were completely ineffectual. The room was filthy. She was filthy and she also had no clothes, nor could I detect any sign that Malcolm possessed any clothing for her. Disgusted, I turned my glare on Malcolm.

"Either kill her or turn her immediately," I instructed. Those were the only two options after seeing the state of the human.

"Of course."

That was fast, I mused. So fast it could be construed as eagerness. Why after keeping this human captive for three weeks was Malcolm so keen to kill her? He wasn't going to kill her.

"Stop," I commanded and Malcolm ceased his approach of the human. Malcolm wished to keep this human. He had probably intended to turn her all along; my instructing him to do so was simply a fortuitous reprieve. "Leave."

"What?" Malcolm asked in disbelief. I had thought that my instruction had been sufficiently infused with finality.

"Leave." There was no mistaking my tone, or my intentions, this time. Malcolm quickly vacated his own house.

Approaching the human impossibly fast, for a human's eyes at least, I reassessed my options. I would not inflict Malcolm on this feeble female, she had clearly suffered enough, and I would not permit Malcolm to turn her. I did not wish for another child, so although this would prevent Malcolm from having her, I disregarded this option. Nor would killing satisfy my need to punish Malcolm's insubordination, it was too easy, he would too soon forget. Leaving her alive, however, yes, I would glamour her and leave her human. Then I would place her under my protection and Malcolm would be forced to see her, but be unable to approach her. I smiled at my own diabolical brilliance.

Leaning down I caught the woman's gaze in my own, trapping her in my persuasive power. I focused on erasing her memory of the last few weeks spent in Malcolm's company, I was not cruel and it was essential that she remember nothing that may cause her to file a complaint against vampires.

"You remember nothing," I told her in a voice saturated in magic. "You remember arriving in Shreveport and checking into a hotel, but nothing after that."

I gazed down at the human, waiting for her to dreamily repeat what I had told her as she erased memories and created new ones. While I was watching her, however, he face changed from a blank mask to one of confusion. Reaching out to her mind again, I realised that she could not be glamoured.

"Interesting," I voiced the thought out loud, but unfortunate for her, I thought to myself. Her eyes simply widened further as terror gripped her body, she realised that she hadn't responded in the right way.

"I was going to erase your memories and let you go," I told her only half paying attention. My mind was occupied elsewhere, considering the implications of a human that could not be glamoured. "Now, however, I am left with no other alternative."

Understanding dawned in her eyes and she started to thrash violently. This human did not want to die. I was surprised at her tenacity and the abundance of energy and strength that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. When Malcolm and I had entered the room, she could barely shift herself on the bed. Once again, I revaluated my options.

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**A/N:** Next, Eric decides what to do with Adrienne, although the story title probably gives the outcome away.

Reviews worsen Malcolm's fate…


	6. Acquiescent

Disclaimer: I don't own any True Blood, I'm sure it would taste terrible anyway.

* * *

**Part VI – Acquiescent**

Adrienne's POV

The door opened and when I saw the two male vampires looking me over, I tried desperately to pull myself away from them; I couldn't. I hadn't eaten properly in… I don't know how long and my strength had completely abandoned me. Time had become meaningless, divided into time with the vampire and the time I was left alone, I didn't know how long I had been here.

"Either kill her or turn her immediately," I heard a cold voice say. The total lack of any emotions to corroborate the statement chilled me to the bone.

"Of course," my vampire answered without hesitation. _My vampire_, when had that happened, I mused. During my captivity, I never ceased to be amazed at the randomness of some of the thoughts that raced through my head when I was seemingly on the cusp of death.

My vampire started to move towards the bed. I still couldn't drag myself away from him; no matter how determined I was.

"Stop," commanded the icy voice. My vampire stopped coming closer. "Leave."

"What?" my vampire asked.

"Leave," the icy voice repeated. The instruction was laced with impatience and malice; it made my bones shiver. Realising that my vampire was going to leave me with the new vampire caused a fresh wave of terror and panic to bubble up in my chest and spill into my extremities. This new vampire was obviously in charge. This was going to be worse than anything my vampire had done and my mouth became dry as my brain calculated the implications of my new situation.

As the vampire who owned the icy voice advanced, they blocked what little light was entering the room through the open door. After another step, they were reduced to a hulking black shadow, accented by the light that peeked around the outline of their form. When they paused beside the bed, I caught sight of a smile curving their lips. Sinister was far too simple an adjective to describe that smile. It was baleful, tinged with a hint of regret and a generous helping of satisfaction.

The vampire leaned down and towards me. He stared hard into my eyes, his focus unwavering.

"You remember nothing," he said, his icy voice had turned numinous and persuasive. "You remember arriving in Shreveport and checking into a hotel, but nothing after that."

I blinked in confusion. Was this vampire going to let me go? It was hard to stop the desperate hope from bubbling up and relieving my tense body, but I forced it away. There was no conceivable way that this vampire would simply let me go. He could extract no guarantees that I would remain silent about my kidnap and subsequent captivity; even though I would.

Slowly my sluggish mind drew a memory from its cloud depths. It was a televised _discussion_ between Rev. Steve Newlin, from the Fellowship of the Sun, and Nan Flanagan, spokesvampire for the American Vampire League. Newlin was spouting his usual xenophobic crap, but then he said something that caught my attention. Vampires could hypnotise humans and alter their memory. Is that what this vampire was trying to do? If it was, why wasn't it working?

"Interesting," the vampire mused, his voice still to regain its icy detachment.

Crap, I'd missed my window, my eyes widened in fear as I realised that I may have just messed up my best and only hope of escaping this nightmare.

"I was going to erase your memories and let you go," the vampire told me, his voice far away. "Now, however, I am left with no other alternative."

This time my brain processed the information quickly, as though it had been recently serviced, the understanding that dawned was not pleasant. I started to thrash violently on the bed, it was futile, but the only thing in my power to do. I did not want to die. Even as the reasonable part of my brain tried to remind me that I didn't stand a chance against a vampire, I continued to thrash.

The vampire paused. I didn't know if it was in response to my struggling. The thoughtful expression that graced his face made me nauseous. I ceased my violent movements to study him and wait for him to make the next move. For a moment the hope that he would not kill be reemerged. It disappeared just as quickly as it appeared.

A sharp pain originating from my neck shocked me into action. I started kicking and thrashing on the bed, scratching and hitting out at the vampire. All to no avail. Two huge hands clamped onto my wrists preventing me from moving and I was forced to do nothing but wait for the vampire to drain me. It didn't take long for my energy and strength to start to leach out of my body. The blood draining out of my body deflated me, with each pull from my neck I crept closer and closer to the edge, I felt as though my body were shrinking.

Just before I tumbled over the edge the vampire stopped.

"Do you want to die?" he asked.

I tried to speak, but no sound came from my mouth. Instead, I tried to convey my desperate desire to live, to exist, to the vampire using my eyes.

"That's what I thought."

I sagged and stopped fighting against his hold. He understood that I didn't want to die.

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks so much to everyone who is reading and leaving a review/thought/comment, I really appreciate it. The number of people reading this story is staggering... in my little world anyway. The hits and reviews for this story have almost caught up to those of my other fic Balance of Power (Twilight fic) and that is much further along!


	7. Speculation

Disclaimer: True Blood is not my own.

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**Part VII - Speculation**

Pam's POV

I didn't expect Eric to return to Fangtasia with an update on Malcolm, but still, I hoped. Actually, I wished I could have seen the look on his face when Eric ordered him to kill his pet. He had sounded rather attached to his human. Perhaps he would argue? That was a sure way to anger Eric and then maybe we would get to play? That scenario was an outside chance at best. Malcolm had lived a long time, he would not risk the final death over a human, no matter how attached he was. My phone rang, checking the caller ID I saw that it was Eric. That was unexpected.

"Eric…" I was cut off before I could say anything further.

"Meet me at my house," was all Eric said before hanging up.

Something interesting might yet happen tonight. I left a few instructions for Clancy and made my way out the back exit and to my car. Anticipation fuelling my interest as I drove to Eric's house, wondering what surprise would be awaiting.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

When I arrived at Eric's house I could hear him at the rear of the house. Quickly, I made my way to him and was dumbstruck at what I saw. My maker was holding a shovel as he stood beside a large hole. Hearing my approach Eric turned to me, allowing me to see a brief flash of concern cross his features.

Once I stood beside him, I understood his concern. Lying in the hole was a human female, she had clearly been drained. Eric was concerned about my reaction. With smug satisfaction I turned to Eric.

"Diversifying into funeral homes?" I asked him sarcastically.

"Pam," he acknowledged me dryly, ignoring my jibe. "Bury us."

"Of course," I replied.

After Eric had settled into the hole with the human, I started to fill the hole in. As I laboured my thoughts flickered between jealousy, interest, and amusement. I was jealous that Eric would create another child; I was interested in what qualities the human had exhibited that caught Eric's interest; and I anticipated the amusement a fledgling vampire would offer. Those thoughts quickly turned to ones of irritation as I evaluated my nails; I would need to get them redone, and my shoes were ruined. Eric knew how much I detested manual labour, but I would remind him nonetheless when he was risen tomorrow evening.

Finally, my thoughts chose to settle and remain in a state of interest towards Eric's new childe. Tossing the shovel aside I noted the imminent approach of sunrise, starting back to my own resting place, I contemplated what I would need to bring tomorrow evening. Clothes for the girl as she was wearing none and some True Blood to help quench her thirst; it wouldn't do for her to massacre Eric's neighbours.

I took a moment to replay my memory of her naked form. It was only so that I could locate some appropriate clothing for her, I smiled to myself.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The next evening I stood over the patch of earth where I had buried Eric and the woman. I was impatient to learn the finer details of what had taken place the previous evening. What of Malcolm? How had Eric come to the decision to turn the girl? I didn't have to wait long. A few hours after nightfall, I could see limbs seeking a way out of the earth.

"Evening," I greeted Eric, when he dragged himself out of the dirt.

"Pam," he greeted me before plucking the newly formed vampire out of the earth.

I took a moment to again admire her form as she glanced around in bewilderment. I remembered well how disorienting the first moments after awakening were. Not knowing where you were, not knowing what you were, and the assault on your now comparatively hypersensitive senses.

"There are fresh clothes laid out for you inside and I purchased clothes for her too," I informed Eric.

"Good," he replied, before turning towards his childe. "What's your name?"

"You don't even know her name?" I asked incredulously.

"It didn't come up," he told me with a smirk, before turning back to the young vampire.

"Umm, it's Adrienne," she replied shakily.

I was amused at her reaction when she realised she wasn't wearing any clothes. Out of respect I forced myself to bite back a sarcastic comment.

* * *

**A/N:** Just a little snippet from Pam's point-of-view, I think it's important since she's getting a new sister. Also, I don't want to have two parts in a row from Adrienne's point-of-view.

For those who have been asking I'm still not sure where I sit on ending this fic / writing a sequel. The story is coming to a natural close, but at the same time we really need to deal with Malcolm. I don't know whether to continue on or address that in a sequel... I'm sure it will come to me :)

Please R&R!


	8. Inaugurate

Disclaimer: True Blood is not my own.

* * *

**Part VIII – Inaugurate**

Adrienne's POV

Being pulled from the dirt like a carrot was the least surreal of my experiences that evening. From the second I was free of the earth my senses were assaulted with information. I could see the moon overhead, so I knew it was night time, but everything around me was illuminated as bright as the day. Everything was also much clearer, I could see farther then I had ever seen before, and I viewed everything with more detail. Mesmerised by the sway of the blades of grass in the soft breeze and the delicate tendrils of the air brushing across my face, I was broken from me reverie by a simple question.

"What's your name?" the huge male vampire asked me.

"You don't even know her name?" a female vampire asked, incredulously. Wait, where did she come from? I hadn't seen her before!

"It didn't come up," he replied with a smirk, before returning an expectant gaze back to me.

"Umm, it's Adrienne," I mumbled in reply.

His piercing gaze was unnerving and I immediately sought out something else to focus on, anything, but his icy blue eyes. That's when I noticed that I was completely naked. For a moment my mind wandered and I contemplated whether it was possible to be anything, _but_ completely naked. No, I didn't suppose it was. A startling realisation jolted me back to reality, when I remembered _why_ I was naked. Then, I realised that there were three vampires standing here, not just two, I was the third vampire.

Fear and panic started to overwhelm me, when the calm voice of the male vampire soothed the emotions that were threatening to engulf me.

"Come," the male vampire directed, "you'll feel better after a shower."

The promise of a shower did improve my mood, but as I trailed the two vampires, following them into the house I couldn't help thinking that the female vampire found my distress somehow amusing. I was contemplating throwing her my best death glare, when she smiled at me.

"I'm Pam, by the way," she introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you, I guess," I answered her with a weak smile.

"I'll show you to the bathroom," she said as she led me up the stairs and down a hallway. "This will be your room while you stay here with Eric. Everything in the room and the entire house for that matter, is either fireproof or made with fire retardant materials. Also, the curtains are fitted to be light proof and steel shutters are programmed to close over all the windows five minutes before the sun starts to peek over the horizon. You will be perfectly safe in this room and this house."

"Oh, okay," I said, completely overwhelmed by all the information. Obviously, everything she just told me would be comforting to a vampire, for me, it was just overwhelming and confusing. I guess fire and sunlight _are_ bad things for vampires... and the male's name was Eric.

"Bathroom's through there and I bought these for you," she said, gesturing to a door and thrusting a bundle of clothing into my hands, before leaving the room.

It took a moment for me to process that and after some hesitation I made my way to the bathroom. I still didn't comprehend, at all, what had happened to me, nor did I pause to assess the room's décor. Once I caught sight of my reflection in the mirror, there was very little that was going to delay my shower. Standing under the spray of water it took all of my self control not to moan in pleasure. I honestly couldn't remember the last time I'd had a shower; it had been a while. The sensations were mesmerising and I basked in them, taking the first piece of comfort I'd had for some time and embracing the sense of peace settling throughout my body.

My newly heightened senses were quickly making this the best shower of my life. I could feel each drop of water as it fell from the showerhead, plunging through the air, before finally drumming on my head, my face, and my shoulders. Marvelling at how I could _feel_ the droplets of water, slicing through the air above me on their descent, I was further distracted by the feel of the rivulets of water cascading down my body. Following the path of a single drop, I felt it travel through the air, before it collided with my shoulder. Then quickly slipped down my body, travelling to my perfectly flat belly and then down my legs with a chorus of other droplets. A shiver rippled through my body, as it teased the surprisingly sensitive skin behind my knee before sliding down my calf and my ankle, before disappearing down the drain.

The sound of voices below me absorbed my focus. They were discussing me. The female vampire, Pam, was asking the male, Eric, why he decided to change me; she sounded genuinely interested.

"She's very strong," Eric explained to Pam, "she was already on the cusp of death, but a surge of strength came from absolutely nowhere and she fought with everything in her for her life. I couldn't deny her."

There was a contemplative pause.

"And what of Malcolm?" Pam asked.

"Yes, what of Malcolm indeed," Eric mused darkly. "We shall have to consider his punishment."

"You mean you haven't already planned it out?" Pam was clearly surprised.

"Well, I had a plan," I could imagine Eric shaking his head ruefully, "but it didn't work out."

"Explain," Pam's voice was dripping with curiosity. I was insatiably curious too, what could have possibly spoiled Eric's plans, who would have dared?

"Malcolm was obviously attached to her," Eric explained. "Plus, he hadn't actually done anything wrong according to vampire law, besides disobeying me. So, as punishment I was going to take his shiny new toy away and place her under my protection, forbidding him from approaching her or turning her."

"Dastardly," Pam murmured in awe and approval. "Were her memories too ingrained to glamour sufficiently?"

"I couldn't glamour her at all," Eric admitted, "and then she fought so valiantly, I decided to keep her."

"I see, now, what are you going to do about Malcolm?" Pam asked. "He has been pushing the boundaries for months."

Although, the conversation playing out below me was disturbing, I relaxed as I finished my shower and dried myself with the softest towel I had ever encountered. The cacophony of threads distracted me, none of them were the same colour, although, I knew that if I were still human they would have looked the same. When I was dry, I picked through the bundle of clothes Pam had given me. There was some outrageously expensive lace underwear that, disconcertingly, fitted me perfectly and a simple dress, it was nondescript and plain, yet still classically beautiful. Donning the clothes, I took a deep breath and stepped out into my bedroom.

I was safe here.

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry, nothing really happened there did it?

A big thankyou to everyone who is reading and reviewing, it's a small contingent, but it's still soooo many more than my other story. It's almost six times longer and I've been writing it for months and this story has already surpassed it in hits _and_ reviews!

Lemme know what you're thinking :) Eric still has to dole out Malcolm's punishment.


	9. Thievery

Disclaimer - True Blood is not mine.

* * *

**Part IX - Thievery**

Eric's POV

A quick catalogue of my office showed that everything was in its rightful place; I craved order and control now, more than I ever had before. Knowing that everything was as it should be, unmoved, untouched was comforting when my time spent at the club had been so diminished. I did not begrudge my childe this, she needed instruction and I could trust Pam to be the club's caretaker. Also, Adrienne had quickly become a formidable vampire; she possessed excellent control and instincts. Very soon I would be able to bring her to Fangtasia without fear of her losing control and attacking a human customer. I looked forward to seeing the expression on Malcolm's face when he saw her.

I started leafing through lists of possible new slogans and teasers to advertise the bar and for plastering on the array of merchandise that we sold. There were also a number of sample designs for a new Fangtasia t-shirt. The shirt did not interest me in the least and I instead distracted myself with the list of slogans. _'Dance the fangdango'_ was first on the list; absently I thought it a shame that most of the humans wouldn't catch the Gilbert & Sullivan reference. Just as I hit the real gems of the list, including _'Dead Gorgeous,' _I heard a human shuffling up to my door. My calm facade resettled across my features; some of the slogans had been highly amusing. I waited for the inevitable knock on my door and when they finally did knock I was on the verge of dragging them into the office myself.

"Come," I commanded, when the human finally worked up the courage to knock. I was more than a little surprised when I saw our accountant, Bruce, shuffling nervously into my office.

"Umm, I was going over the books for the last three months and there are some irregularities," he told me. When I didn't say anything he pressed on, finishing in a rush. "It was very well hidden because the amounts are so small, but $60,000 has gone missing."

"What?" I roared, leaping up from the seat and knocking it over in the process.

"Ahh, $60,000 has gone missing," he forced himself to repeat what he had said, just as Pam sauntered into the office.

"Have you told anyone else?"

"No, I came straight to you."

"Good. Pam," I conveyed most of my instruction with the nod of my head towards Bruce.

Pam clamped her hand down on Bruce's shoulder and dragged him from the office. There was no kicking and screaming; he was paralysed by fear. Sitting at my desk once again, I started to flip through the ledger that Bruce had brought with him. He was correct, almost $60,000 had been siphoned from the takings at the bar and gift shop, gradually, over roughly three months. It was actually quite impressive that the human had discovered the theft. That, most likely, meant that Bruce had nothing to do with the theft; we would have to make sure we glamoured the memory of this interrogation from him well if we wanted to keep him on. As expected, Pam reappeared in my office announcing that Bruce wasn't involved in the thefts.

"I trust you erased the memory of your little conversation?" I asked her.

"Of course," she replied, with a smirk. "Now, what action are we taking to discover the identity of our thief?"

"We should check the human employees first. Call everyone in Monday evening and we'll go from there."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Four nights later and I was standing beside a pile of blood, fluids and various tissues, that had once comprised the vampire Long Shadow with a wooden stake in my hand.

"That was messy," Pam commented with a smirk.

"Don't worry, it won't be after you've cleaned it up," I retorted, before heading back to my office.

Long Shadow's death was a problem. He was a partner in my bar, a member of my retinue, and a favourite childe of his makers; Hot Rain promised to be the most difficult element in my current quandary. If Long Shadow hadn't been such a coward and attacked me when he was discovered to be the thief I wouldn't be in this situation. Hell, if he needed money he should have asked me. I would have loaned him money, the money was never the issue here, although I would have tacked some stiff conditions and favours onto his repayment schedule.

Picking up the phone in my office I dialled a familiar number.

"Magister," I greeted the voice on the other end.

...

"Yes, I need to report an offence in my area that requires a ruling. The vampire Long Shadow, of my area and retinue, has been stealing from my business."

...

"$60,000."

...

"No, the money isn't important, but his audacity in taking it is."

...

"Excellent, we will meet with you in a week for the trial."

...

"I've known Long Shadow for decades, there's no need to imprison him. Besides, I will seek restitution from his maker, Hot Rain, if he flees."

I smiled to myself as I placed the receiver back in its cradle.

"What are you smiling about?" drawled Pam.

"I've just set the date for Long Shadow's trial with the Magister."

"But, he won't be able to attend," Pam pointed out, her smirk growing more pronounced as she realised what I was doing.

"That would be... unfortunate. I would be forced to seek restitution from his maker. Now, I really should call Hot Rain to let him know of the situation."

"Yes, and don't forget that we need a new bartender," Pam called over her shoulder as she left the office.

That we did. How fortuitous, I was contemplating what Adrienne's role at Fangtasia would be. Bartender was perfect; it would keep some space between her and the humans which should reduce the likelihood of a slipup.

* * *

**A/N:** It's about time Adrienne got to Fangtasia :)


	10. Induction

Disclaimer: I don't own True Blood, although, give me another week and I'll have figured the recipe out.

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**Part X – Induction**

Adrienne's POV

Gazing down at my bed I was trapped in some kind of sick, masochistic staring contest with the clothes Pam had given me to wear tonight. The outfit was comprised of a black mini skirt with pleats at the back, a black top with criss-crossing straps, and a black leather corset. Basically, it was black with an extra helping of black. It was completed by a pair of intricately patterned stockings, a black studded belt with a chain dipping around the bottom, and a pair of terrifying black stilettos. Staring at the clothes I was trying to think of positives that I could cling to; these were not the sorts of clothes that I wore, ever.

"Hurry up," Pam complained. "You don't want to keep Eric waiting."

Tonight was my first shift as Fangtasia's new bartender and I was a little nervous even before Pam arrived in my room, with a pile of clothes for me, wearing a terrifyingly tight black vinyl skirt and corset combo paired with death-trap high heels. At least the top had a modest neckline, I thought to myself.

"Okay," I replied hesitantly, before stripping my comfortable jeans and cotton top and sliding into my _costume_.

"Perfect," purred Pam, as she handed me a perfectly coordinated black knee length vinyl jacket and dragged me down the stairs.

Eric appeared by the front door just as we did. After giving me a once over that lasted less than a second, my _costume_ was approved. I was thankful that Eric didn't ogle at my appearance too much, as he did so many others', I didn't think I would have been able to stand it.

"You're riding with me today," Pam told me, as she walked outside.

In Eric's driveway sat two beautiful cars. Eric's Corvette I knew well; even though he had refused to let me drive. The silver Jaguar was less familiar however; I assumed it was Pam's. Those two vehicles stood as monuments to their owners' vastly different personalities. Eric's Corvette was fast and sleek, yet ostentatious, while Pam's Jaguar was sleek and expensive, remaining a vision of understated elegance. The Corvette was such a stark contrast to the Jaguar; it looked like it might eat other cars for breakfast.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Pam and I walked in through the staff entrance at the back of Fangtasia well before opening time. We both deposited our bags in Eric's office and then I received the grand tour: Eric's office, store room, dance floor, bar. Fangtasia was amazing. Not that it was the type of bar I would have ever frequented as a human, it was just so cliché vampire that I loved it. Grudgingly, I admitted that the _costume_ would let me blend in. During the tour several human and vampire employees were pointed out to me and before I knew it I had been deposited behind the bar ready for opening. The vampires eyed me wearily; I didn't know why though, Eric had decided to keep his status as my maker a secret.

At 9 o'clock when the bar opened, a stream of touristy people entered the bar. They were all extremely nervous and many held cameras. After nervously looking around the bar many of them seemed to gravitate towards me; apparently I gave off some kind of friendly vampire vibe? I knew I didn't give off a vibe anything like Eric's. The night progressed fairly quickly. I poured drinks, popped my fangs out, posed for photos, and Pam promptly crushed any cameras that snapped a photo of me.

Later on in the evening the vampires started to arrive. Some had humans with them, while others were obviously coming to the bar to trawl for one. With the arrival of the vampires came more confident humans, humans who were obviously much more comfortable around vampires and wanted to be bitten. This made my job that much harder. Now, I had to field drink orders and deal with advances from humans who wanted to feed me. It was gross. I had been a vampire for about two months now, but I hadn't fed from a human even once. Eric had tried, but I just couldn't do it. Every time I brought my fangs close to a human's skin I remembered what Malcolm did to me. Even the thought of feeding from a vein made me feel nauseous.

At some stage during the evening Eric emerged from his office and settled himself into his gaudy golden throne. From his raised seat he could easily survey the entire bar; it offered him an excellent vantage point from which the human patrons could fawn over him. The whole set up made me sick. Trust Eric to cash in on the mystique that surrounded vampires. It did make me sick, but really, it was just good business.

As I worked, I took in the other vampires at the bar. None wore coloured clothing, none smiled, most of them hardly moved at all and it was difficult to imagine anyone mistaking them for a human. Over in one of the darker corners sat a petite female vampire, Thalia. She wore a long black dress and a black beaded choker, all of which accentuated her pale skin. Surrounding her, at a safe distance, were her human followers. Apparently, she had her own fan site, although, she seemed less than thrilled when the humans approached her. Several times during the evening I heard her curt and accented, "Fuck off," directed at someone who had summoned up the courage to approach her. Pam had warned me to stay away from her, she was an ancient vampire and according to Pam she was dangerous and unpredictably volatile.

The ancient Thalia caught me looking. I quickly looked away and when I next looked up she was standing in front of me at the bar and Eric was watching us carefully, but covertly.

"What can I get you?" I asked her.

"Nothing," she replied in heavily accented English. "You are the new bartender?"

"I am," I replied, a little warily.

"Hmm, bad things happen to the bartenders here."

"Is that so?"

"It is. Can you smell that?"

In response to Thalia's question I inhaled deeply, trying to see if I could smell whatever it was she could supposedly smell. I couldn't.

"Not unless you're referring to sweat, alcohol, or the human wearing Britney Spears' Curious," I told her.

"No, I mean the dead vampire," she replied. Leaning towards me in a gesture that signalled both conspiracy and a deadly warning, she continued. "Smells like _dead _bartender."

"Is this a threat or a warning?" I asked her jokingly. Although, I desperately wanted to know what her answer was.

"Both," she replied, darkly.

"Is everything alright here?" Pam asked, out of nowhere.

"Of course it is," I told her. "I was just admiring Thalia's choker."

"Don't die," Thalia told me before gliding away.

"Hmm, she likes you," Pam said before doing the same.

* * *

**A/N:** I've been looking at lots of pictures to give me inspiration for outfits and the like. It's so much easier to describe something than to make something up. Anyways, there are links to Eric's and Pam's cars as well as many photos of women in assorted clothing on my profile so you can take a look at what I've been looking at.

As always, thanks for reading and leave me a review. It will make Malcolm turn up faster!


	11. Unannounced

Disclaimer: True Blood is not mine.

* * *

**Part XI – Unannounced**

Isabel's POV

"Does she know who your childe is?" I asked Godric as we left Sophie-Anne's compound.

"It is not likely," Godric replied.

We had just spent the last few hours playing Yahtzee with the Queen of Louisiana. I had never played the game before and I suspected that it was the same for Godric. I hoped to never play the game again; it was monotonous. We played to five million; surely humans didn't play to that number? But, Godric and I had sat with the Queen and one of her human companions, engaging in polite conversation while we rolled dice, over and over again.

"Why do you think she was so concerned that you would recall your childe from her territory?" I asked Godric, after a pause.

"Sophie-Anne knows that any childe of mine would be a powerful vampire and so long as they reside in her kingdom their fealty lies with her, thus their power is her own," Godric explained. "Really, it is surprising that she did not try to convince me to relocate to Louisiana."

"Too busy pretending she wasn't stunned that you should come to see her."

"Perhaps," Godric replied, a smile creeping into his voice. For anyone who didn't know Godric well it would be impossible to notice the slight change in inflection.

"Where are we going next?" I asked

"Area five."

No doubt, once in area five, we would pay the same courtesy to the area's sheriff as we did to the Queen and announce our arrival. It was an old custom to seek permission to enter an area or kingdom when one's purpose was only a short visit, but the polite consideration had garnered much consideration from the Queen.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It was just after 1a.m. when we arrived at a seedy vampire bar, Fangtasia. Just the name was enough to make my lips curl back in disgust. It was hard to imagine that a vampire of any consequence would associate themselves with such as establishment. Perhaps the inside would be better?

Despite the hour there was still a small queue of humans waiting for their ID to be checked so they could enter the bar; it was composed of various humans, many of whom had visible fang marks. Godric and I walked straight to the head of the line and immediately gained entry, the vampire at the door instantly recognised us for what we were and could probably sense that Godric was an old vampire. The inside of the bar was no better than the outside; the whole place was a giant cliché.

Godric's eyes swept the bar, presumably searching out a particular vampire. Mine did the same, though; I was taking in the layout of the bar. There was a dance floor, music playing, humans dancing, vampires scoping out their next meal, a bar, and I almost did a double take when I saw the gift shop. Along one of the walls there was a raised platform, roped off from the general public and atop of it sat a golden throne. I assumed that the throne belonged to the sheriff and also took the liberty of assuming that he possessed a substantial ego.

When Godric didn't spy the vampire he was seeking we both made our way to the bar. As we approached, two humans vacated seats for us. The bartender was a young vampire, probably turned quite recently. Although she exhibited excellent control, her age was betrayed by her calm and patient handling of the human customers. She was a beautiful female, dressed to match the bar, but still nicely. Her black satin and lace shirt hugged her figure and the colour created a stark contrast with her skin and stunning blonde hair. The vampire's face and lips were accentuated with heavy black eye makeup and lipstick, her face was framed by a cascade of golden curls. Despite being dressed for the bar, she stood out.

"What can I get you?" she asked us, coming straight over and stranding two human males vying for her attention.

"We are fine," Godric assured her.

"I insist, it's on the house," she pressed, turning her attention to me.

"Well," I started to object also, but she cut me off.

"I'll mix whatever you prefer," she assured me with a fangy smile.

"Half B negative, with a quarter each of O negative and A positive," I reluctantly gave her my very particular order.

Without a word of complaint she took several bottles of Royal Blend and heated them to optimum temperature. She shook them thoroughly to ensure there were no cold spots, mixed my order and placed it in a beautifully shaped cocktail glass with a swizzle straw and a paper umbrella. When she gave me my drink she also placed a bottle of Royal Blend AB negative in front of Godric.

"On the house," she repeated when it was clear that Godric was going to protest.

As Godric and I sipped our drinks in silence, something caught the bartender's attention. Godric and I followed her eyes and saw two vampires that we recognised: Malcolm, an old vampire who had quite a reputation, and the ancient Thalia who was known for her aggression and volatility. Both were moving across the floor, Thalia came and sat at the bar, Malcolm headed for the door. Before Malcolm left he nodded to the bartender and she stiffened in response.

"You have had a problem with that vampire?" Godric asked her.

"He cannot approach her, sheriff's orders," Thalia's accented voice answered Godric's question.

"Godric, if you would follow me, the sheriff is waiting," another vampire told us.

"Thank you," replied a mildly surprised Godric, before picking up his drink and following her. I did the same. We had not yet requested an audience with the sheriff so it was surprising that he knew we were here, let alone Godric's name.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It turned out that Godric's childe and the sheriff of area five were one and the same. Even though Godric rarely spoke of his only childe, I knew that he was exceptionally fond of Eric and that the two had travelled together for some time. Eric had been a Viking when he was human and still looked the part, which was probably who I was so surprised when we walked into his home. It was not what I expected. Pam, the vampire who had approached us at the bar, and Adrienne, the bartender, disappeared upstairs while Eric led us into the library, giving me the opportunity to admire the house. It was very different from our nest in Dallas, which was very modern and minimalist.

Pam and Adrienne reappeared from upstairs having changed out of the clothes they wore at Fangtasia. It was a radical change. Pam now wore casual jeans and a pale pink cashmere sweater, while Adrienne wore a classically cut electric blue knee length dress. I couldn't help but stare at the transformation. Adrienne's dress especially, vampires didn't usually wear bright colours; it even drew Godric's eye.

The two female vampires took up position on plush, comfortable looking sofas in the adjoining sitting room and had each chosen magazines from an assortment spread across the coffee table. Pam was flicking through a copy of GQ magazine, while Adrienne held a copy of Vogue.

"We have Vanity Fair, Marie Claire, and People Magazine if you're interested," Adrienne invited me to join them, all the while waving a few magazines in the air.

I looked to Godric for permission. It was ridiculous of me, we were in the house of the area sheriff who was Godric's childe, these two vampires were part of the sheriff's retinue and Godric was fully occupied, my presence was not needed. Yet, still, I silently asked permission to socialise with these two vampires. Of course, Godric nodded in assent.

* * *

**A/N:** I love Godric as a character and I couldn't help, but add him into the story. Everything has a reason though and his presence will make more sense later.

Don't worry, Malcolm will reappear in part xiii.

Please R&R.


	12. Company

Disclaimer - Adrienne is mine, but True Blood is not.

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**Part XII – Company**

Godric's POV

When Adrienne came downstairs, dressed ready for another evening as Fangtasia's bartender, I caught myself staring. This wasn't the first time I had found myself admiring the female vampire. Each time I had noticed myself staring at her I had quickly averted my gaze, hoping that no one else had caught me staring. Last night at Fangtasia she had looked beautiful, dressed to accentuate the vampire stereotype, but at the same time she had appeared more civilised than any other vampire in the crowded bar. This had meant that she attracted the attention of the human patrons; she wasn't as intimidating as the other vampires at the bar.

After we retired to Eric's house I had discovered that both of Eric's nest mates preferred vastly different clothing from what they wore at the bar. I couldn't help watching them walk down the stairs after they had changed into their preferred attire. Eric's childe, Pam, had changed from leather pants and a red corset to jeans and a light pink sweater. Her taste was incredibly feminine, yet she had looked perfectly comfortable in the other outfit. The same was true for Adrienne, although her clothing was far more striking. Her simple and elegant dress was electric blue. I could only imagine that such a vivid colour would even draw the attention of humans, for a vampire to select it was unimaginable. Not that vampires had a dress code, it was just that almost all vampire wore either black or pale, neutral colours. The brightest colour the average vampire ever wore was red. Adrienne, clearly, was not the average vampire.

The time spent at Eric's was refreshing, as Isabel had suggested it would be. That evening at his home had been like the years, long forgotten, when Eric and I were everything to each other. We reacquainted ourselves with each others' situations, the differing problems in our areas and relived memories of our shared past. During the evening I caught him checking on his nest mates. The sight invoked a memory from the night I turned Eric into a vampire. Smiling to myself I remembered him lying wounded and telling his men that wherever he went there would always be women.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"_Eric, how did you know I was at Fangtasia?" I had finally asked him the question that had been troubling me all evening._

"_Adrienne," was all Eric said in reply. However, sensing my confusion, he elaborated. "She has a good nose, she recognised you."_

"_She could smell that I am your maker?" I asked in disbelief._

"_I do carry your blood within me."_

"_And then she signalled you?"_

"_Sent me a text."_

"_Of course."_

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Do you find it difficult to wear clothes like that for Fangtasia?" Isabel asked. "They're so different from what you select for yourself."

I was glad that Isabel had asked the question, I too was interested in Adrienne's response. Tonight Adrienne wore a red corset top with a short black jacket that appeared to be in fashion at the moment. The jacket had a high collar, left upturned, as though she had just stepped off the set of a vampire movie. She would make Eric a lot of money tonight.

"No, I quite enjoy it, I think of it like wearing costumes," Adrienne replied with a smile. "Pam is less impressed by it, but she of course has been doing it longer. I guess it will bore me after a while as well."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"_Have you had any problems with the Fellowship of the Sun in your area?"_

"_No, they are nowhere near as active here as they are in Texas," Eric had replied. "Are they a significant problem?"_

"_It is mostly words at the moment, although I am afraid it may escalate to something more serious."_

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Pam, drive Godric and Isabel to the airport when they are ready to leave," Eric directed his childe.

Pam didn't respond. It was obvious that she was incredibly loyal, but over the course of yesterday evening I had been astounded time and time again by how disrespectful she was. However, it didn't seem to bother Eric so I didn't trouble myself with it.

"Adrienne, you'll ride with me."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"_Do you have many problems in your area? I noticed Thalia and Malcolm at Fangtasia last night; they both have reputations for trouble."_

"_No more than anywhere else," Eric replied with a shrug._

"_I heard that Thalia has been banished from seven Kingdoms."_

_That comment had made Eric smile._

"_Thalia and I have an understanding. Besides, she has become much easier to manage since the arrival of Adrienne."_

_Eric's comment intrigued me, but I didn't press for further information._

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"It's Thursday so that undercover cop will probably be back," Adrienne commented as she followed Eric to the door. "It's really unimaginative of them to always come on the same night."

"Yes, keep an eye out so we can avert any trouble before it happens. I don't want to have to glamour a police officer," Eric instructed, as he closed the front door behind him.

"Are you ready to leave Sheriff?" Pam questioned. It was quite impressive how she paired such an impertinent question with my formal title; I could see why Eric chose her.

"Yes," I replied simply, a quick glance confirming that Isabel was also ready to depart. I ignored her brazenness; she was Eric's to deal with.

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**A/N:** I hope you can follow this chapter. This is early evening the night after Godric and Isabel came to Fangtasia and the insets in italics are snippets of Eric's and Godric's conversation the previous evening.

Oh, and Malcolm will be back next chapter.

R&R please!


	13. Comprehension

Disclaimer – True Blood isn't mine, but the scenario is.

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**Part XIII – Comprehension**

Adrienne's POV

When vampires came out of the coffin, or whatever ridiculous thing they were calling it this week, I, like everyone else, was shocked. For months afterwards it wasn't uncommon to hear people asking: _Where were you when the vampires came out?_ It was just like the moon landing and 9/11 all over again. _Came out,_ what ridiculous terminology. They weren't homosexual; they were a completely different species! Well, where was I? I was having dinner with a bunch of girlfriends: braised lamb, risotto and Merlot. We didn't take it seriously at first, or second really, but we did have _the_ conversation. Would you want to be a vampire and what would you do if you were one? Generally, the answer was: _no, and I'd just spend all my time missing chocolate fudge cake_, either that, or _what would you do with eternity?_ Sure, sometimes we wished we had more time to get everything done, but when push came to shove there just wasn't enough stuff to fill eternity with. Nope, none of us wanted to be vampires; many other people did though.

The Great Revelation polarised the whole world. Although a spectrum of opinion surely existed, all I could see were those who loved vampires and those who hated vampires. It was the invention of a whole new social class: fangbanger, which was considered even worse than illegal immigrant.

I sat firmly in the '_what would you do with eternity?'_ camp. Now that I was a vampire, I have to say that I had taken the correct stance, although all of my time is occupied it's hardly fulfilling. Between bartending at Fangtasia, shopping with Pam, and drawing out the odd complete sentence from Thalia, my time was all accounted for. My life really wasn't that different from my human one. Obviously, being a vampire was a big change and not just in diet, but I was still working a job that although I was good at I didn't really enjoy; I still wasn't living for me.

Not to say I was ungrateful. That night Eric tried to wipe my memories then kill me, but ultimately turned me, I was not ready to die. I was twenty four years old. I know that many people don't live to be that age, but I was greedy, still am, I was not ready to stop living. Eric later told me that that was what had stayed his hand. Told me that it reminded him of himself; that fight, that drive to survive, that it would make me a good vampire. Whatever a _good_ vampire was; I certainly didn't know.

Eric had spent a lot of time away from Fangtasia the first month or so after I was turned, teaching me what it meant to be a vampire. Even though I was thankful and appreciated him taking the time to teach me, I couldn't help, but feel entitled to the attention. He made me a vampire; he _should_ take responsibility for it. I learned how to glamour, apparently I picked that skill up unusually fast, I learned how to control my fangs, and I learned how to speak around them so I didn't lisp. But, one thing I could not master, not fully. I was an expert at luring humans into dark, secluded corners, but I couldn't feed. Every time my fangs came close to their necks, I would have flashbacks of my last few weeks as a human and I wouldn't be able to finish.

Eternally patient, I was again thankful for Eric. Even if someone as powerful as him couldn't truly fathom what was running though my mind, he was understanding. Eventually, he suggested only taking a little blood and then glamouring my meal so they wouldn't remember; my glamour was certainly strong enough. That was how, five months after my turning, I first tasted human blood. I lured a man into an alley beside the bar he had been drinking at, I glamoured him into a state of complete compliance, and then after much hesitation, I sunk my fangs into his neck. Up until this point I had drunk only True Blood and Eric's blood; although I couldn't remember the taste of Eric's blood, that had been the night that I was made a vampire and I was fully occupied by my terror.

The contrast between True Blood and human blood, fresh from the source, was indescribable. The best illustration of the difference that I could come up with was bread. Weird, I know, but it was like bread. True Blood was like a slice of bread from the loaf you bought at the beginning of the week. It tasted fine, there was nothing wrong with it perse, and it still possessed all of its nutrients satisfying your hunger. However, that slice of bread couldn't hold a candle to a slice from a loaf fresh from the bakery. The fresh slice of bread was filled with the same nutrients, it also satisfied your hunger, but it was just better. It was softer and it slid down your throat with more ease, making the whole process that much more enjoyable. Bread was a good example; I could remember countless times when I had taken a slice of bread from the new loaf before finishing the old. Fresh bread was nicer.

When I was finished, I tore the wound so that it resembled a gash and not puncture wounds and shoved the man roughly into a dumpster. Then, I released him from the glamour, giving him a false memory of stumbling into the dumpster and an urgent desire to drive to the ER and get that injury fixed up. Once Eric and I returned to his house I broke down under a torrent of memories all centred on Malcolm. When I told Eric that I would never do that, feed from a human, again, he didn't argue.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Absently wiping down the bar at Fangtasia during a lull, I endured the worst part of my new life; Malcolm's nod and smile of acknowledgement as he left the bar. When this happened, Thalia was always perched at the bar. It was like a carefully rehearsed routine.

"Interesting," commented a vampire, leaning carefully on his pearl and ebony walking cane. It was almost funny to watch him leaning on that cane, no vampire need a cane to assist them walking. But, his accessory was a beautiful one, no doubt concealing a blade of some sort in the shaft.

"Can I get you a drink?" I asked the vampire, ignoring his comment.

"AB negative, Royally Blended," he placed his order.

I pulled a bottle from the fridge and placed it in the microwave to heat up. Once it was done I gave it a thorough shake, to ensure an even temperature, and placed it on the bar in front of him. Although, I didn't know who this vampire was, I had observed everyone tip toeing around him.

"What was that?" he asked, jerking his head towards the door. He was clearly interested in the exchange with Malcolm. Thalia had already slunk back to her corner table and this vampire had observed her retreat with equal interest.

"Malcolm is not to come near me, Sheriff's orders," I told him without emotion.

"Adrienne, that one's on the house," Pam hissed to me as she glided past, motioning to the vampire at the bar. I nodded covertly in response. Even though the vampire could see and hear the entire exchange, the attempt to be discreet was respectful. Like I had thought, he was powerful.

"Why is that?" the vampire mused. "Did Eric take you from him?"

I didn't answer. I didn't know how. Eric didn't want anyone to know that he was my maker and although this hurt my feelings I didn't want to go against him. I didn't know how to answer this question without either revealing that piece of information or setting us on a path that would reveal it. I didn't need to answer though for the vampire continued.

"It is Eric's right, of course, as Sheriff," the vampire continued. "A stroke of luck for you I daresay."

When the vampire stood I tilted my head low in a deep, lingering nod of respect. I was shocked when I received a small nod in acknowledgement. The vampire raked his eyes over my body before he strode from the bar. It reminded me of how Malcolm used to look at me, causing my stomach to curl in on itself before belting out a gymnastics routine. But, this vampire, like Malcolm wouldn't act to satisfy his interest. I realised that I had nothing to fear. Whilst under Eric's protection Malcolm couldn't lay a finger on me, it was vampire law. I was _safe_.

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**A/N:** R&R! Let me know what you think. I've had a tonne of alerts for the last few chapters, but almost no reviews. I do it too so I understand, but please take the thirteen and a half seconds to leave me a review. The warm fuzzy feeling you get as an author when you read a review just can't compare to anything I can put into words.

Ooh, and what did you think of my human blood/True Blood simile? I'm kind of proud of it!

murgatroid-98 : Thanks for your review last chapter, at first I didn't know where I could slip your suggestions in, but then I realised that Adrienne had to realise a few things to make the next part to make sense. So here was your chapter, I hope I answered your questions :)


	14. Truce

Disclaimer: True Blood is not mine, but it's fun to play with

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**Part XIV – Truce**

Malcolm's POV

Over the last week Adrienne hasn't been as unnerved by my presence at Fangtasia. I don't know what I can attribute this change in behaviour to, but it gives me hope. Hope that I can get her alone. If I can separate her from Eric I have a chance. If I can get her to Nevada before Eric is able to intervene then I will have won. It is near closing time and Thalia isn't perched in her usual position near Adrienne at the bar; I didn't understand the harpy's fascination with my Adrienne, but because I was unlikely to receive a better opportunity than this one I approached the bar.

"Last round," she tells me. However, it is obvious that she would rather be saying something else to me. She refrains however.

"I wanted to talk to you," I inform her, quickly scanning the bar to ensure that we are not within the eye line of Eric or Pam.

"Really?" she asks, ramping up the attitude.

"Indeed."

"You're not allowed near me," she reminds me.

"Actually, I forget the exact wording of Eric's order, but I remember that it was more concerned with your consent then a blanket command to stay away from you."

"Then why were you glancing around the bar before?" she asks, obviously trying to understand my motivations.

"Because, they are very protective of you and I don't want any trouble. Please, will you meet me after Fangtasia closes?"

She studies me carefully. Vampires show so little emotion that it is near impossible to tell whether we are lying. It takes her some time, but eventually her posture relaxes. She is going to grant my request. Clearly, she thinks that now she is a vampire she stands a chance against me, but I am far older than her and she _will_ submit to me.

"Fine," she says, as though I am the greatest inconvenience. She will be made to pay for that later.

"Meet me in the car park."

"Fine."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I am leaning against a dirty brick wall when I spy Adrienne leaving Fangtasia. She is alone. I don't know how she escaped the watchful eyes of her maker or his other childe and I don't care. When she sees me she starts making her way over. I am ecstatic at how easy this all is. Now, I just need to lure her further away from Fangtasia so that I can overpower her. However, Adrienne surprises me, making my night.

"Would you like to take a walk? Then you can tell me what you want."

Perfect.

"A walk sounds most delightful," I tell her, reverting to the civilities of a pervious time. I needed her to trust me. That she has suggested the walk herself already plays into my hands. If I am caught, it will only strengthen my defence.

We walk at an irritatingly human pace, but I don't say anything because I don't want her to run back to Eric. Eventually, we come to a clearing, well clear of any form of human settlement. Adrienne turns to face me, determination in her features.

"What do you want?" she asks.

"As I said, I just want to talk," I assure her. As I feed her the lie, I calculate the distance to my car, the distance to the Louisiana border, the distance to Nevada.

I am so caught up in luring my beautiful Adrienne into a false sense of security that I don't notice the sweaty, disgusting human until they have wrapped the silver chain around my neck. With a quick flick of their wrist my hands were also restrained by silver; this humans was experienced.

As the silver burns my flesh sending tendrils of acute pain throughout my body and draining my strength, I look Adrienne in the eyes and tell her to run. If she gets Eric I might be saved. I have been bound too expertly in the silver and there is no chance that I can free myself. If Adrienne gets Eric I might survive, although the punishment for approaching Adrienne and putting her in danger will be severe I will live to attempt my plan another night. What I see horrifies me. Another human has trapped Adrienne in silver and has begun attaching tubes to her major arteries.

Drainers.

I comprehend just how dire the situation is and thrash against my attacker. The spindly human male curses at me and kicks me hard, retrieving more silver to bind me even more tightly. There is no chance of escape and I thrash and snarl on the forest floor. When my strength wains the human attaches the tubes to begin extracting my centuries old blood.

Hours later there are only a few drops of blood left in my body and the human male is removing the silver from my body. Even with the silver gone I don't have the strength to move. I shift my eyes to where Adrienne lays on the ground, drained as I am, and watch as the second human seals the bags of her blood and sits them beside the bags of my own blood. Resigned to our fate, I lie back on the ground and hope that another vampire will smell the blood and take pity on us and move us to shelter, before we are burned by the coming dawn.

No vampire finds us. Three hours, forty seven minutes and twelve seconds after the humans surprised us, the first rays of light creep over the horizon. I am older so I will burn faster, my Adrienne will suffer longer. When the sun hits my flesh I cannot help but scream in anguish and am barely cognisant enough over the searing burn to note that Adrienne does not scream in agony beside me.

With no strength to seek shelter I am immolated on the forest floor.

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**A/N:** Aww, Malcolm's dead and it's about time. Not what you're expecting, but everyone likes a good twist. Share your frustration and leave me a review :)


	15. Missing

Disclaimer – True Blood isn't mine, but this bitch of a cliffhanger is.

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**Part XV – Missing**

Pam's POV

Adrienne is not behind the bar so I ask the other vampire employees where she is. The information I receive is not good and now, since I can't find her anywhere in the bar, I have to tell Eric.

"Vad har hänt?" Eric asks. _(What has happened?)_ I haven't sauntered into his office and I hesitate. Already, my actions telegraph the fact that I have bad news to convey.

"Adrienne is gone," I deliver the news the only way I know how, bluntly.

"Var?" _(Where?)_

"I don't know. She was seen meeting Malcolm in the parking lot a few hours ago."

"För några timmar sedan!" _(A few hours ago!)_

"That is what I am told."

When Eric looks at the clock, his frustration increases exponentially. It is too close to dawn for us to start looking for her and the few hours head start Malcolm has had would have been enough for him to cross the Louisiana border into another Kingdom.

"Vi kommer att gå och hämta henne i morgon kväll," Eric vowed. _(We will go and get her tomorrow night.)_

Realistically, however, I knew that it wouldn't be that easy. Especially if Malcolm had sought sanctuary in another Kingdom, he might even be protected by another King or Queen.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

First thing the following evening, Eric and I are at Fangtasia organising Eric's underlings to search for Adrienne and Malcolm. All knew that Malcolm was forbidden from approaching her. Some witnessed the two conversing at the bar yesterday evening and it only serves to make Eric even angrier. The assembled vampires see Eric's reaction to this news, which guarantees a thorough search.

Thalia is uncharacteristically agitated; I cannot understand why. Eric will not make her search with the others, she is too volatile, their agreement only covers her behaviour in the area and a guarantee that she will fight alongside Eric. But, even if the situation should arise, Eric does not expect her to honour the second part of the agreement. Apparently, I had underestimated her attachment to Adrienne; although, it's not entirely unexpected since she would always linger near Adrienne whenever Malcolm was in Fangtasia.

"Go," commanded Eric, once he had finished giving orders. The assembled vampires quickly scatteredo to begin the search. Realistically we all know Malcolm has already had enough time to flee the Area and the Kingdom and that he was a fool if he hadn't already fled.

To further improve Eric's mood, the Magister strode into Fangtasia less than a half hour later.

"Eric," the Magister says with a nod of acknowledgement.

"Magister, why don't we step into my office?" Eric suggests. "You, of course, don't mind if Pam joins us?"

"Of course not," the Magister replies and we all step into Eric's office.

"Before we get down to business, where are all the vampires this evening? I understood that you require all those residing in your area to make appearances at the bar," the Magister queried.

"I do, but they are all running errands for me this evening." Eric's evasive answer appeared to appease the Magister, which was disconcerting.

"Well, down to business. The imprisonment of your underling, Jacob, will be served in full at the end of next week. I assume that you don't want him back?"

"You assumption is correct," Eric smirked.

"Very well," the Magister agreed. "That concludes my business." Eric and I had to struggle to mask our surprise when the Magister rose to leave.

"Magister, to what do we owe the pleasure? Tonight's business is hardly something that you would normally conduct personally," Eric cut straight to the chase. "And I don't think my bar is the kind of establishment that you would normally frequent."

"You are quite right," the Magister agreed. "I was hoping to see your bartender again. I was most intrigued by her on my last visit. Is she too running errands?"

The Magister's interest in Adrienne was not welcome and it put Eric in an unfortunate position. The vampire's timing could not have been worse. Eric could not evade such a direct question and would be forced to reveal that Adrienne was missing and that she was last seen in the company of a vampire that he had forbidden to approach to her. This would reveal Eric to be weak and not in control of his Area.

"She is missing," Eric admitted. "She was last seen in the company of Malcolm, my retinue is searching for them now."

Before the Magister could comment on this turn of events there was a knock on the door.

"Come," Eric directed and Clancy entered the office.

"We think we found Malcolm," he announced.

"What do you mean, you _think_ you found Malcolm?" the Magister asked. "Either you have or you haven't."

Clancy was looking twitchy now that he had been put under the spotlight. Clearly, the news he brought wasn't good, at least, it wasn't going to please Eric. The Magister was the one asking the questions though and judging by the way he was now gripping his ebony walking cane; he didn't like to be kept in suspense any more than Eric did.

"We found the remains of a vampire who had been burned by the sun," Clancy explained. "They had been bound in silver and it looked like they had been drained, what was left of the clothing looked like Malcolm's."

"And the bartender?" the Magister asked.

"Well, Adrienne wasn't there, only enough remains in that clearing for one vampire. But, it looked like a second had definitely been bound and drained there also. Edmund looked at the tracks and he thought that the second vampire had been carried off."

"That account makes it sound like the work of two drainers," the Magister mused. "This is serious indeed. Eric, do you object to my staying and assisting with this investigation? These drainers must be found, to have subdued a vampire as old as Malcolm makes them dangerous."

"Of course, Magister," Eric replied, there was no other response that he could make.

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**A/N:** Drama, drama, drama. Interesting discoveries next part about Malcolm and Adrienne's capture and subsequent draining, but you probably won't be able to piece together the significance for a little while.

The plot thickens, **leave me a review**, I love speculation.

Once again, the Swedish is done using an online translator, so I'm certain that it's been butchered.


	16. Communiqué

Disclaimer – True Blood isn't mine, but the twist coming up is totally my brainchild.

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**Part XVI – Communiqué**

The Magister's POV

The capture of these two vampires by drainers was very serious indeed. Adrienne's capture was not such a concern, since she was still only a young vampire, but Malcolm was old; his death was something to worry about. The other issue was that Adrienne may not have experienced her final death; she may be being held somewhere by the drainers and milked for blood. Finding Adrienne was a secondary concern, locating the drainers was the most pressing matter. Thankfully both could be achieved through the same means.

When I left Eric's office, the first thing I did was contact what a human would call a secretary. I charged the female vampire with the task of alerting all the Sheriffs in the Southern Kingdoms to be on the lookout for drainers. A description of Adrienne was also given, as well as instructions to be on the lookout for large quantities of V, vampire blood, coming onto the market. Finding the blood would help us track the drainers and would also lead us to Adrienne if she was still alive.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The following evening I was back in Eric's office seeking an update on his efforts to track Adrienne and the drainers.

"What progress has been made?" I asked him.

"Very little," Eric replied, with a shake of his head. "The clearing where Malcolm's remains were discovered has been thoroughly searched, but nothing was found that could help us uncover the identity of the drainers. We have, however, been able to confirm that they were ambushed by two drainers."

"Well, we cannot always rely on the incompetence of others," I mused. "Has there been any success in tracking the drainers?"

"No, Jemez was only able to track them as far as the road; there they got into a car, so he was not able to track them further. He was able to verify that there were two drainers and that they carried something, probably Adrienne, from the clearing."

"Jemez?"

"An Indian, his ability to track animals is formidable. I understand he was an excellent hunter when he was human."

"Native American," I absently corrected Eric.

"What?" Eric asked.

"The humans don't like to say Indian, they prefer Native American," I explained. "If we are to interact with the humans Nan says that we must adopt their idiosyncrasies."

"Have you discovered anything?" Eric changed the subject, completely ignoring my comment about the humans' obsession with political correctness.

"No, but I have issued a bulletin to all of the Sheriffs in the Southern Kingdoms. They will be on the lookout for large quantities of new blood and I also gave a description of Adrienne."

"I saw," Eric replied, holding up his copy of the bulletin.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Good news," I announced, as I strode into Eric's office.

"Which is?" he asked.

"The drainers have been located. I received word from Arkansas' second, Jade Flower, that they have been apprehended and dealt with."

"Any sign of Adrienne?"

"No, she reported no signs of the humans holding a vampire. They did find a few vials of Malcolm's blood as well as a large quantity of a younger vampire's blood. She assumes this belonged to Adrienne."

"But she cannot be certain," Eric pressed. His attachment to his bartender was perplexing. Then again, my own interest in her wellbeing was also unsettling.

"No, she cannot, however, I received word from Dallas of a similar find. A few vials of Malcolm's blood and a much larger quantity of Adrienne's blood. Godric said that he had met Adrienne and was able to confirm that it was her blood that the dealer possessed."

"It does not sound like we will find her alive," Eric conceded.

"It will be a great surprise if we find her at all," I agreed.

Arkansas was not a patient vampire. Undoubtedly, when the drainers had been discovered in his Kingdom, he had jumped on the chance to publicly execute the drainers. Especially, since it could be proven that they had killed a vampire as old as Malcolm; it would prove to be very beneficial for his reputation. His haste, however, had robbed us of what was possibly our only avenue to locate Adrienne. Adrienne was only a young vampire and of no consequence to Peter Threadgill, therefore interrogating the drainers to discover what they had done with her or where they were holding her was not high up on his agenda. The only information that had been garnered from the drainers was that their names were Mack and Denise Rattray.

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**A/N:** Some of these end up being quite short since I'm sticking to one point-of-view per part. Anyways, I am now quite sure how I will finish the story. There will be room for a sequel, but only if I can nut out a decent plot.

Leave me a review? I love them so!


	17. Discovered

Disclaimer – True Blood isn't mine, the characters are Charlaine Harris' and the darkness Alan Ball's.

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**Part XVII – Discovered**

Eric's POV

Adrienne had been missing for almost a week now. Everyone was more than happy to assume that she had met her final death, but I knew better; I could still feel her. Pam and I sat in a thoughtful silence in my office contemplating our options. There were none. Because I couldn't sense her well enough to locate her, we couldn't go and get her. She was so weak that I could barely feel that she had yet to meet her final death, let alone get a bead on her location. The only explanation was that she was being held somewhere and being milked of her blood by drainers as the Magister had suggested. The Magister's interest in her abduction was unusual and something that merited further thought, however, my mind was already occupied by Adrienne.

"Perhaps, if we drove around, you would be able to sense when you were getting closer or farther away from her?" Pam suggested.

It was incredibly frustrating that this was the best option that was available to us. There was nothing that could be done and I was backed into a corner. I hated having my back against the wall; ordinarily I didn't allow myself to end up in situations where my options were so restricted.

"That may work," I allowed. "But, with the instability created in the Area by Malcolm's death I have to remain visible. I cannot afford to allow any vampire to believe that my position had been weakened."

Two vampires being captured by drainers in my Area was not a direct reflection of my ability to maintain order, but it was enough to sow the first seeds of doubt. As much as I wanted to spend the night hours searching for Adrienne, I had responsibilities as Sheriff that could not be ignored.

I rose from my seat behind my inconsequential desk, disturbing some of the papers strewn haphazardly across the top, just as the Magister entered my office with his lieutenant at his heels. The female vampire was not striking or in any way memorable of appearance and dressed as she was in a conservative business suit, she did not project the power that should be associated with the age that I could sense within her. She must be a few centuries old, at least, but she looked completely harmless. It was difficult to fathom what her maker had seen in her; surely she predated secretaries and she didn't seem geared for anything other than clerical efficiency.

"Any news?" the Magister asked, not bothering with pleasantries.

"No. You?" I responded in kind.

"No."

Before the conversation could progress further Pam's phone rang, destroying the grim mood that had fallen upon the office. Pam answered her phone without so much as a hesitation to suggest that she was abashed by her unintentional interruption. After so many years I shouldn't expect anything less.

"Hello," she answered her phone with a bored drawl.

...

"Where are you?" a sense of urgency had seeped into Pam's usually detached voice.

...

"Yes, if you have it."

...

"Are you alone?"

...

"Good. We'll be there in fifteen minutes."

Pam ended the phone call.

"That was Adrienne; she managed to get to a phone," Pam starts filling us in on the content and origin of the phone call. "There are a few old mail order catalogues and pizza delivery dockets so she was able to provide an address. It's not far."

It took less than two minutes for instructions to be left with Fangtasia's staff and for Pam and me to be speeding along in her Jaguar, the Magister and his entourage following us in their Escalade. Twelve minutes after Pam hung up and we were pulling to a stop at the end of a winding dirt driveway. In front of us stood a dishevelled, but not condemnable, single storey wooden house. The old white paint was peeling off and the exposed wood had petrified in the sun, the likelihood of this house having a light-tight space was not great; it was a miracle that Adrienne had survived a day here, yet alone almost a week.

Out of the Escalade two vampires, charged with protecting the Magister, emerged and quickly surveyed the house for any signs of humans or sabotage or deceit. It took less than a minute for them to deem the area safe and the house was quickly relieved of its front door, making access much easier. I was prepared to tear the house to pieces to find Adrienne, I could sense that she was near, but that wasn't necessary; she had collapsed in the front hallway near the telephone. It didn't look as though she would have been able to make it back to wherever she had been sheltering during the day; dragging herself to the phone had used all of her strength.

While Pam lifted Adrienne up and proffered a bottle of True Blood to her lips the Magister's lieutenant appeared at his side with several quarts of vampire blood.

"What do we have here?" the Magister asked.

"It smells like Malcolm's blood," the female replied.

"Well, that makes sense. Malcolm's blood would fetch a premium price because of his age and would be harder to sell," the Magister muttered to himself.

"Hang on, I have another in the car," Pam told Adrienne.

Before Pam could move to get up, I had gone to the car and retrieved the other True Blood. A human would have found the feat of speed amazing, but to the four vampires with me it was rather mundane. I opened the bottle before handing it to Pam.

"No, it was refrigerated," the female answered the Magister.

"It might still be viable," he mused.

He was right, vampire blood started to deteriorate and become unviable almost the second that it left a vampire's body, the refrigeration would have helped to preserve it. Viable for what though I thought to myself, but I didn't even have time to start wondering what that purpose was before the Magister told me himself.

"Check it to see," the Magister instructed his lieutenant.

"It's still good," she replied, after quickly sampling a drop of the blood.

"Good, it will revive her faster."

"What?" the female exclaimed. "That is highly unprecedented."

"I know," the Magister replied. "But, never before have two vampires been caught by drainers, the childe surviving while their maker has not. Malcolm would want his childe to survive."

"Yes, Magister," the female answered, handing the blood to the Magister, the sullen tone her voice had taken on was not unnoticeable.

"Pam, let's get her back to Fangtasia," I instruct my childe. If the Magister is indeed going to let Adrienne replenish herself from Malcolm's blood, we'd need a more permanent location.

**---**

Once back at Fangtasia we discover that the Magister had made up his mind. He walks purposefully into my office carrying the bags of Malcolm's blood; Pam had already laid Adrienne on the sofa. I examined the bags of blood more closely and was surprised to note that we had almost five quarts of Malcolm's blood. The Magister's explanation was probably correct: Malcolm's old blood would fetch a higher price and be harder to move. When the Magister tossed one of the bags into my microwave to heat up like a True Blood, Pam and I both looked at him questioningly.

"It's at my discretion," he said, by way of explanation.

* * *

**A/N:** Well, at least Malcolm is finally doing something useful. Leave me a review... I think the next part will be from Thalia's point-of-view to add a bit of variety; that's going to be difficult to write since there is no substantive description of her in the books.

**Update:** Some readers are confused about who Adrienne's maker is, why no one seems to actually know etc. so I'm going to slip and explanation/clarification into one of the next parts.


	18. Recovery

Disclaimer – These characters do not belong to me, except for Adrienne of course.

* * *

**Part XVIII – Recovery**

Thalia's POV

A saw Pam carry Adrienne into Eric's office. They were discreet, but the door between the main club and the back was open at just the right moment. Adrienne looked terrible; there was clearly very little blood in her body and it was unlikely that she had had the opportunity to feed in the last week.

I had heard of vampires that were caught by drainers before. Vampires that were almost a century old had taken many months to recover and that was only when others took pity on them. Eric would care for Adrienne, he took his responsibilities as Sheriff seriously, but I wondered at how long it might take for her to recover.

"Fuck off!" I snapped at a human that had strayed too close.

The humans who observed me at Fangtasia were insufferable and delusional. It didn't matter how I treated them, they were delighted by every curse and every glare. The human I had just sent scurrying away had made it back to their table of companions and was receiving congratulations on their bravery. I suppressed a snort. The revolting creatures were fortunate that Eric had extracted many oaths from me to ensure my _good behaviour_ and that they were downwind, or else I would have vented my frustrations on them.

Perhaps if Adrienne had been found faster she would be in a better condition? I couldn't understand why Eric hadn't located her sooner; he was after all her maker, but perhaps her exsanguinous state had prevented him from sensing her? If he had been able to sense her location it would have been a simple matter to assign some underlings to search that locale; she could have been retrieved the night after she was taken.

The truly interesting, yet understandable thing about Adrienne's turning was that no vampire seemed to be aware that Eric was her maker. It was assumed by all that her maker was Malcolm. I could understand Eric's motivation for keeping this a secret, although, it was his right as Sheriff to take Adrienne from Malcolm it was weak of him to turn her. She should by all rights be dead. For the same reason Malcolm would have never revealed that he was not Adrienne's maker, because even though Eric was his Sheriff, he would likewise wish to avoid the appearance of weakness. The only portion of the whole affair that didn't immediately make strategic sense, from Eric's perspective, was forbidding Malcolm to approach Adrienne. However, that first night she bartended at Fangtasia it was apparent that she was terrified of Malcolm. Eric had managed to shield Adrienne, while at the same time supporting the assumption that Malcolm was her maker; without the order to stay away if Malcolm were her maker he could have commanded her to leave with him.

Another human had summoned up the courage to approach me. I was staggered when she managed to utter a complete and coherent sentence.

"Would you like to feed from me?" she asked.

I sized the human up for a moment, carefully examining her from head to toe. She had greasy blonde hair, dyed black of course, and was wearing black jeans. Black combat boots, a black tank top and the requisite black eye makeup and lipstick completed her outfit. Reeking of cheap perfume, alcohol and sweat there was no way that my fangs were going anywhere near this child; even if her blood type were AB negative. A sharp kick that sent her stumbling backwards answered her question and convinced her to leave me alone.

Pam slipped into the main bar area, but she closed the door quickly behind her, preventing me from getting another look into Eric's office. She appeared far more relaxed than she had when she was carrying Adrienne. Checking in with Clancy she enquired after any problems. Not bothering to lower her voice to prevent vampires from eavesdropping, she effectively made an announcement to all the vampires in the bar, when she filled Clancy in on the situation.

"We found Adrienne and most of Malcolm's blood in an abandoned house not far outside of Shreveport."

"Is she going to recover?"

"Yes, the Magister decided to give her Malcolm's blood. It should hasten her recovery considerably."

I heard a few vampires mutter that it was right to give Adrienne her maker's blood to speed up her recovery. I, on the other hand, knew that Malcolm wasn't her maker and couldn't understand how none of the other vampires had noticed. Couldn't they smell Eric's blood within her? More importantly, did the Magister know?

**---**

Two nights later and Adrienne was back behind the bar when I slunk into Fangtasia and my preferred table in the darkest corner of the club. I nodded in acknowledgement of her presence and she responded with a tight smile. Considering how bad she had looked when Pam carried her into Eric's office her recovery was astounding. Malcolm was an old vampire, not as ancient as me or even Eric, but he was several centuries old and his blood would have been strong. It was good that he had finally been useful for once in his long life. I knew that his maker had had little use for him; he was certainly of little assistance as I had torn his maker apart.

I almost smiled as I relived my violent past. Malcolm's maker was just one among many vampires that had ensured me of my formidable reputation and my subsequent ban from many Kingdoms. Constantly moving from Area to Area and Kingdom to Kingdom had become tiresome however, and so I arrived in Shreveport and Eric's territory. All the other vampires were wary of me, but they believed the Viking had the power to control me.

"C-could I p-p-please take a picture?" asked yet another pathetic human.

"No," I answered, in the thick accent I hadn't been able to shake even after over a millennium.

The human scurried away, delighted that I had deigned to speak. It never ceased to amaze me how humans were drawn to my accent and bad attitude. Other vampires had told me that I had a fan site on the internet... whatever that meant.

"Is this seat taken?"

When I didn't respond or even shift my gaze, Adrienne slid into the seat opposite me. She handed me one of the True Bloods she had carried with her and we sat together in silence. I could smell Malcolm's blood within her and when the Civil War vampire with the excellent sense of smell entered the bar, human in tow, I knew that he too would assume that Malcolm was her maker.

* * *

**A/N:** As usual, thanks for reading and please take a moment to leave a review.

For everyone who was confused about whether [1] Malcolm or Eric was Adrienne's maker (see Part VII); or [2] why Eric has kept his status as Adrienne's maker a secret; or [3] why Malcolm never said anything; I hope that is all cleared up now.


	19. Complaint

Disclaimer – Not mine, not mine at all...

Apology – The Swedish is from an online translator and you know how accurate they are!

* * *

**Part XIX – Complaint**

Adrienne's POV

It took almost a week for me to fully recover from having almost all of the blood drained from my body, but now I was back to normal and bartending at Fangtasia. It took another week after that for the stares and whispering to subside; all the Area's vampires had heard of my ordeal. In fact, almost all of them had been involved in searching for me.

I was truly lucky to still be alive. Silver, combined with the blood loss, had severely depleted my strength and the night I managed to drag myself to the phone I used all that remained of my strength. If Eric hadn't come to get me I would have perished when the sun rose. Eric had actually apologised for not coming to get me sooner. Apparently, he hadn't been able to sense my location properly; he could sense that I was still alive, but not where I was. Pam suggested that the blood loss may have been behind it.

Eric's inability to sense my location through the blood loss was just another stroke of bad luck. Really, when the drainers were apprehended in Arkansas they should have been forced to reveal my location; instead, the bloodthirsty King had killed them straight away. This was strange because Arkansas was currently negotiating a marriage contract with our Queen, Sophie Anne, surely the safe return of one of her subjects would garner him favour? I have never claimed to understand vampire politics and this is just further proof that I still don't understand what motivates them to do what they do. Pam says it's because I still think like a human, but I'm not so sure.

---

One night, not long after the whispers had finally died down, Diane and Liam, Malcolm's nest mates, came to Fangtasia seeking Eric. Eric rose from his tacky throne and ushered them into his office. I looked to Pam for an explanation, but she merely shrugged in response and I was forced to wait the longest fourteen minutes of my existence. After spending fourteen minutes with Eric in his office, the two vampires stormed out, glaring and snarling at me as they passed the bar on their way out the door.

---

"What did they want?" Pam asked Eric, after we had closed Fangtasia and returned to his house for the day.

"Diane and Liam?" Eric asked.

Neither Pam nor I responded to his question, nothing else interesting had happened tonight.

"De in ett formellt klagomål." _(They lodged a formal complaint.)_

"Mot vem?" _(Against whom?)_

"Adrienne."

At this point I was beginning to become extremely frustrated at being cut out of the conversation. I had been steadily learning Swedish, but I still didn't speak the language anywhere near well enough to understand Eric and Pam's secretive conversations.

"It's rude to talk in a language I don't speak," I snapped. "Even worse now that I know you're talking about me!"

They both paused and looked at me as though I had sprouted a second head.

"This is a serious matter, Adrienne, now is not the time to behave like a child," Eric admonished.

"I might have realised that on my own if you told me what was going on," I reasoned.

"True," Eric conceded and he finally told me what was going on. "Diane and Liam came to Fangtasia tonight to lodge a formal complaint against you."

"Why?" I asked, completely unable to think of anything that would warrant a complaint being made against me.

"They accused you of killing Malcolm."

"Her? Kill Malcolm?" Pam scoffed. "She was captured by drainers, trapped in silver and drained of her blood, when exactly was she supposed to have killed Malcolm?"

"It was a rather elaborate and imaginative story," Eric supplied.

"But why would they lodge a complaint?" Pam continued. "It is so obviously not true, there's no way that she could have subdued Malcolm and drained his blood and hers by herself. Besides, the Magister was there when we found her; he knows all of the particulars."

"As I said, it was rather... farcical."

Eric and Pam spent the remaining hours before sunrise laughing at how ridiculous the allegations were. Eric, of course, had dismissed them outright, but had had the presence of mind to hear Diane out. It would not have been wise for the Sheriff of Area 5 to not listen to the complaint and he had found them hilarious. The reaction that I was now witnessing explained why Diane and Liam had stormed out of Fangtasia earlier tonight.

Despite Eric and Pam's enjoyment of the situation, it scared me and I had fallen silent. I didn't really know much about the vampire's justice system; in fact, I suspected that it was more of an injustice system.

"Don't worry yourself, nothing will come of it," Eric assured me, sensing my unease through our bond.

---

Working the usually slow Tuesday night, Pam and I both felt Eric's summons at the same time and after getting other employees to cover our positions we both made our way to his office. Entering the office we both looked to Eric, expectantly, awaiting our orders. What happened next shocked us both.

"We have been summoned to appear before the Magister."

* * *

**A/N:** Another mystery to confuse you all and a cliffhanger, just don't hate me too much. I know this was a short chapter, but I want to switch to another point-of-view for the trial.

In other news my exams are finished so I have more time to write (sort of), but I really need to crank out another chapter for my Twilight story - I've been neglecting it!


	20. Tribunal

Disclaimer – Not mine, the maddening plot is though.  


* * *

**Part XX - Tribunal**

Pam's POV

The tribunal was everything Adrienne had been expecting of the vampire justice system and then some. I could see that she was barely able to disguise her disgust. Eric, Adrienne and I stood together, as aghast; Adrienne took in the scene before her. The Magister, with his beautiful ebony walking cane was seated atop an abandoned and rusting car. As he read names from his Blackberry, the technology oddly out of place, leather and denim clad vampires dragged the accused before him. The crime was described and the punishment meted out. Fires, scattered around the place, lit the tribunal, but none of the vampires present required the extra illumination. Adrienne stood, rooted to the spot, struggling to maintain the illusion of indifference that Eric and I were able to adopt with ease. For us, after all, it wasn't an illusion.

"Idiot, you fed on a human that belonged to another. Three months of starving, until your fangs grow back, will teach you better manners," the Magister scolded the uni-fanged vampire. "Brothers and sisters of the tribunal is this fair, is this just?"

The rabble roared in affirmation, making Adrienne whiten to an even lighter shade of pale; if that were even possible.

"Louisa, the other one please, from the root."

Louisa, a petite brunette, stepped forward and begun to wrestle the offending vampire's remaining fang from his gums. It came free and a cheer of triumph erupted from the watching vampires; blood gushed from the point where the fang had been extracted.

"Sentence passed and executed," the Magister stated, again consulting his Blackberry. "The trial is concluded, best of luck. Moving on, ahh, this looks interesting, Eric Northman, Sheriff of Area 5?"

"Magister," Eric replied, the Magister glanced up from the glow of his Blackberry, searching for him amongst the gathered vampires.

"Is it true that nine days ago a resident of your Area came to you with a serious complaint?"

"It is."

"The complaint?"

"The vampire, Diane, accused the vampire, Adrienne, of murdering another vampire," Eric responded, without emotion.

"Sheriff, your response to these most serious of allegations?"

"I heard Diane's complaint, but I deemed it not even worthy of a tribunal hearing; so it was dismissed."

"You made a ruling on a matter of vampire law?"

"Yes, as you are aware, it is within my purview."

"So it is," the Magister mused. "But, we are here now."

"We are," Eric conceded.

"Well then, bring me your murderer," the Magister instructed.

Without further ado, Adrienne was dragged forward to stand front and centre before the Magister, surrounded by vampires eager for a guilty verdict. The two burly vampires who had drawn her forward remained, each with a hand clamped firmly on one of Adrienne's shoulders.

"And where is her accuser?" the Magister asked.

In answer, Diane stepped forward.

"Very well, state your complaint," the Magister directed.

Diane's account of the events surrounding Malcolm's acquaintance with Adrienne was lengthy, but by no means complete. Based on my understanding, Diane had omitted some rather crucial facts about the conditions and duration of Adrienne's stay in Malcolm's nest. When she finally stopped droning on, the Magister questioned Adrienne. As instructed, Adrienne kept her answers succinct and to the point.

"You resided in Malcolm's nest for three weeks as a human?"

"Yes."

"However, after you were made vampire, you resided with your Sheriff, Eric Northman?"

"That is correct."

"And Malcolm was forbidden from approaching you by the Area Sheriff?"

"Yes."

"Northman, what was the exact nature of the order?"

"Initially, the order was not to approach or talk to her, however, this was later amended to allow him to order drinks at the bar. She is after all _my_ bartender," Eric reminded the Magister.

"But, she was Malcolm's," hissed Diane.

"Do not interrupt," the Magister rebuked. "As you are well aware, as Sheriff, Northman was within his rights to appropriate the girl."

"On the night in question, Malcolm approached you and spoke to you in a manner other than that allowed by your Sheriff's orders, yes?" the Magister resumed questioning Adrienne.

"Yes, he did."

"What did he say to you?"

"He told me that he wanted to talk and asked me to meet him after the bar closed."

"Obviously you agreed, why?"

"I didn't see any harm in it."

"Hmm... hindsight shows us this to be an error of judgement," the Magister mused. "What happened when you met Malcolm?"

"We walked for a bit, we were attacked just after we reached the clearing."

"Did you hear the humans coming?"

"Yes."

"Did Malcolm hear the humans coming?"

"I... I don't think so, at least, he didn't react to their approach."

"Now, Diane," the Magister quickly changed tack, "I need you to clarify something for me. In your opinion, is Adrienne at fault because she heard the humans approach and Malcolm did not, or, because you believe she helped the humans wrestle him to the ground and bind him with silver?"

Diane struggled to force a response past her lips.

"As I thought," the Magister concluded. "Perhaps, you were actually angry that she will accede to Malcolm's wealth, which I understand is quite considerable?"

"But why wasn't she also bound with silver? Why wasn't she left to meet the sun like Malcolm?" Diane, finally recognising her bind, scrambled to erect a defence.

"Oh, she was bound with silver," the Magister assured Diane. "As to why she wasn't left to meet the sun, we assumed it was because she was easier to restrain that Malcolm and was kept to be milked for her blood."

"I thought it was just a rumour," Diane said to herself, it was too quiet to be directed towards the tribunal, but every vampire present heard nonetheless.

"Not a rumour," the Magister had a small, yet evil smile at his lips, "I witnessed her rescue myself."

"If you knew, then why did you agree to hear the complaint?" Diane finally managed to ask.

"Because I wished to make a point," the Magister replied, his cruel smile growing larger.

"A point?" Diane spluttered, the gravity of her situation had definitely hit home.

"Yes, first you waste your Sheriff's time by making baseless accusations, then, when your accusation is dismissed you commit an act of sedition by ignoring your Sheriff's ruling on the matter and finally, you waste my time with your trifling complaint. For this, there will be consequences; this is point that I wish to make."

Dark skinned as a human, Diane was still dark skinned as a vampire, although, right now she had lightened a few shades.

"Northman, the offence was incurred against yourself and your retinue; I will leave the sentencing to your discretion. I suggest fang removal or confinement in silver; the only limitation is that this crime does not warrant her final death. Understood?"

"Yes, Magister," Eric replied, a glint in his eye.

"Sentenced passed, to be executed at a later date by Area Sheriff," the Magister had returned his attention to his Blackberry. "Now, where is the Sheriff of Area 2?"

* * *

**A/N:** Hopefully, that kept you guessing for at least part of the chapter. Sorry for the delay, I have up until now been updating this story very regularly, but I struggled with this chapter and I'm still not 100% happy with it. *shrugs* Leave me a review with your thoughts. I think Diane deserves anything and everything that Eric dishes up!


	21. Favour

Disclaimer – Variants of True Blood belong to Charlaine Harris and Alan Ball.

* * *

**Part XXI – Favour**

Eric's POV

The trial was both interesting and entertaining. From the instant I received the summons to the tribunal I had been expecting Diane to make a fool of herself. However, I hadn't been expecting the Magister to create such a spectacle of her idiocy. The opportunity to design her punishment myself had also been an unexpected gift.

I believed in fairness and balance. When designing Diane's punishment, I took those very principles into consideration, deciding that she should suffer as Adrienne had. Unto this end, Pam and I restrained Diane using silver chains and drained roughly half of her blood and left her in this state for a week. Still furious at her for her seditious behaviour, I ignored my principles; I had her fangs removed as well. Fang removal was no longer the punishment that it once was. Before the invention of True Blood, fang removal meant three to four months of starvation. It was of course possible to use a knife to open a wound for the purposes of feeding, but it was inefficient. Now, however, fang removal no longer meant having to go hungry. The synthetic blood, while unpalatable, provided all the sustenance necessary for the fangs to regrow. In some case, the fangs even grew back faster than they normally would.

The results of this punishment varied. Diane reaped the consequences of her actions and the Magister praised my creativity, but Diane now held a deep seated hatred for Adrienne, holding her responsible for the punishment. Every evening that she came into Fangtasia, Diane would occupy a booth with Liam and glare daggers at Adrienne.

**---**

"It looks as though Diane is going to hold a grudge for a while," Pam commented.

"That it does," I replied. "You will have to take care."

"I know," Adrienne said as she looked up from the glass she was polishing. "I always am."

A part of me was relieved to hear Adrienne's assurance that her guard was up and that she was being careful, however another part of me was unsettled. She always took care? How could that be so? Was she _taking care_ when she and Malcolm were attacked by drainers? I decided that it was time to make a considered effort to teach Adrienne to fight, also making up my mind to keep an extra careful watch over her until Diane found somewhere else to focus her frustrations. I refocused on what Pam was saying, she was right; ostentatious _was_ rapidly deteriorating into gaudy and tacky. I did need a new throne.

**---**

Six full months had gone by since Diane's fangs had finished growing back, almost nine months since Adrienne had been rescued from the drainers, and her anger towards Adrienne showed no signs of dissipating; the problem was becoming unwieldy. The simplest solution was to forbid Diane from coming to Fangtasia, however, that undermined my authority as Sheriff. Another option was to just wait it out and hope that Diane's anger waned, but if Diane made a move against Adrienne my authority would once again be thrown into question. The remaining alternative was to send Adrienne somewhere where Diane couldn't get to her, but where?

I could send Adrienne to Sophie Anne's court, but I feared that that wasn't far enough away and this option came with its own problems and considerations. The Magister was also a possibility, he had an interest in Adrienne and had already offered her a position with him, but such action may reflect poorly on my ability to perform my job as Sheriff. Only one other option remained, Godric. My maker would gladly grant me the favour and he had appeared intrigued by her during his short visit, but like all of my options this would cast doubt over my ability to act as Sheriff and control my Area.

My pride, which was considerably, was the main obstacle to my taking steps to protect Adrienne. I had just about reeled it and was about to dial Godric's number when my phone rang. The caller ID told me that Isabel, Godric's lieutenant, was the caller.

"Isabel, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I'm afraid that it's not a pleasure Eric."

"Go on," I urged.

"I'm worried about Godric..."

"Godric can take care of himself," I cut her off forcefully.

"I know that," Isabel assured me. "But he's depressed, that's why we travelled to Louisiana. I was hoping that visiting with you would draw him out of his melancholy. I'm worried."

"What do you want me to do?" I asked. "I could be in Dallas by tomorrow evening."

"I know, but I think he needs something more permanent, something to get him to reengage."

"A new childe," I concluded automatically. Older vampires often used their children or other young vampires to help them relate to the current time.

"I've already tried suggesting that," Isabel sighed. "He wouldn't even entertain the idea. He says that we are not meant to walk this earth, that we have overstayed our welcome. Simply put, Godric refuses to create another."

"Then what is to be done?"

"Eric, the real reason I called was because I wanted to ask a favour. I was hoping that I could convince you to send Adrienne to Dallas."

When Isabel gets to the point, she really gets to the point. A slow, calculating smile formed on my lips as I realised that this one move would solve all of my problems. My authority as Sheriff would be maintained, Adrienne would be out of Diane's reach and I wouldn't have to worry about Godric's depression; Adrienne's youthful presence would inject life and energy into Godric's existence once more.

* * *

**A/N:** Godric is one of my favourite characters in the series so far, I just had to draw him back into the story.


	22. Relocation

Disclaimer – True Blood belongs to others; it isn't mine.

* * *

**Part XXII – Relocation**

Adrienne's POV

Since the trial and Diane's punishment I had continually felt someone's presence watching me; a sideways glance or a pair of eyes boring into my back. Diane had lost the battle and the war, but she still wasn't going to let this go; she wasn't going to let me go. It some ways it was just like Malcolm all over again as she stalked me with her eyes while I worked the bar at Fangtasia.

I really began to worry when the warnings restarted.

"Adrienne, be careful with whom you associate," Eric reminded me.

"If you want to go shopping, wait and I'll go with you," Pam promised.

"Of course," I gave my usual reply. I never gave voice to the hurt I felt when they assumed that I took my own safety so lightly; I had no intention of letting Diane anywhere near me let alone hurt me.

Every vampire in the Area knew what had transpired between Malcolm and me, the official version at least, and they also knew that Diane was looking for revenge. Still, Eric was unable to do anything unless she attacked me, the key problem with that being that she might succeed in her attack and fatally injure me or kill me outright. It wasn't ideal. If she did attack me in the open there were also a number of possible reactions from any vampire witnesses. Vampires who were _friends_ with Diane might either help her get her revenge or try to restrain her so she wouldn't have to face Eric's wrath. Other vampires who resided in the Area may either try to help me or ignore the incident altogether, not wanting to be involved.

Liam, Malcolm and Diane's nest mate, just added another layer of complications. His stance was unknown. Would he side with Diane out of loyalty or would he abide by the Magister's ruling. No one knew and that, in a way, made him even more dangerous than Diane.

As the months passed and Diane's vendetta showed no signs of abating, Eric began to contemplate sending me out of the Area. I didn't know what this would involve or where I would be sent, but I hoped it wouldn't come to that. It did come to that. One evening, Eric emerged from his office and announced that I had to pack.

---

At Eric's house Pam and I quickly packed a suitcase, the rest of my things would be shipped later. I changed into another Fangtasia-esque outfit, discarding the one I had worn that evening; it reeked of smoke and alcohol.

When we emerged downstairs with my packed suitcase, Eric was impatient to leave, although neither Pam nor I understood the sudden imperative for my departure. The drive to the airport was mostly silent. However, unable to stand the tension I finally broke it.

"Eric, where am I going?" I asked.

"Dallas," was all he offered in reply.

"That's Godric's Area isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Well, what did he say when you asked if I could go there?" I asked, frustrated by his short answers.

"I didn't ask him."

"They don't know I'm coming?" I asked, suddenly very worried. Although vampire etiquette was often different from the human manners that I was used to, I was certain that appearing unannounced was a 'no no' in both cultures.

"Isabel is aware of your arrival."

"So you rang Isabel and not Godric?" I asked, steadily becoming confused.

"No, Isabel rang me and asked for you," Eric explained.

"How convenient for your ego," I replied dryly.

Pam and I exchanged a knowing look, but we still didn't know what was so pressing that I had to leave tonight. What couldn't wait one more night? Perhaps word had come to Eric that Diane was sick of biding her time and was about to make a move?

---

The airport and Anubis Air was another new experience, among many, since I had been made vampire. Security was _intense_ and that was saying something considering the complete overhaul that airport security in America had undergone since the 9/11 attacks. After being carded twice and almost carded another three times, it was the first time my fangs had actually come in handy, we arrived at the hanger. I was expecting something extraordinary, but it was just an ordinary looking aeroplane in an ordinary looking hanger. Of course, I wouldn't be able to ride in a seat I would be travelling in a coffin.

"Here is your travel coffin, sir," a staff member said as he wheeled the monstrosity over.

"Well, get in," Eric instructed. "It's almost dawn."

"Now?" I asked, suddenly panicked.

"Yes, now," he snapped in exasperation.

"Claustrophobic are we?" Pam asked, catching onto my dilemma much faster than Eric, smirking at my discomfort.

"No," I replied in a small voice. "Well, yes, but it's a recent development."

"Hurry up," Eric growled and that was about all the sympathy I could expect.

"How do I get out of it?" I asked, panic truly setting in now.

"Just pull this lever here," the Anubis Air employee told me, pointing to a small lever in the side of the travel coffin. "The travel coffin can only be opened by you on the inside or another vampire on the outside. The external mechanism requires more force than a human is capable of exerting and the travel coffin itself is made of the same stuff as the plane's black box recorder."

"Okay," I replied weakly. He made the travel coffin sound safe enough, but it was _so_ small.

After a few more minutes I was able to force myself to get into the travel coffin. Without another word, Eric fitted the travel coffin's lid into place; a series of ominously loud snaps telling me that it was locked into place. When the travel coffin began to move towards the aeroplane, I reflexively fingered the lever that would allow me to escape its confines. Thank goodness I would soon be dead until dark and by then the journey would be over; I wouldn't be able to survive the trip inside this travel coffin conscious.

---

I awoke to a pair of eyes staring at me. With a start and possibly a strangled shriek I catapulted myself out of the travel coffin. When my back was pressed firmly against a wall, I was able to process my surroundings. I was in a modern room, devoid of colour and with the requisite clean lines. Another pass of the room revealed that the pair of eyes belonged to Godric. With this discovery I relaxed from my defensive posture against the wall.

"I didn't mean to startle you," Godric apologised or explained rather, vampires weren't big on apologies. "I assumed that you would be more comfortable rising with the travel coffin opened, rather than to a lid."

"Well, you get up early," was all I could manage by way of reply.

Godric didn't respond, but I could see a smile threatening to escape his lips.

* * *

**A/N:** Claustrophobia... I genuinely couldn't help myself. Adrienne is fast becoming a very troubled vampire, what with her new-found claustrophobia and her inability to feed from humans. Anything else I can write in that would make her a _worse_ vampire?

Please take a moment to review, I love reading them, even though I was pretty sucky at responding last chapter!


	23. Arrival

Disclaimer – Godric and Isabel don't belong to me, but Adrienne does.

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**Part XXIII – Arrival**

Isabel's POV

I was so relieved that Eric had agreed to send Adrienne to Dallas. The young vampire was my last hope to imbue Godric with a renewed sense of life; if he refused to make another childe then hopefully Adrienne would help Godric create a tie to the present age.

Eric had reacted strongly to my description of Godric's depression, agreeing to charter a flight with Anubis Air this morning. I had offered to cover the expense, but Eric refused. Adrienne's travel coffin would be delivered to Godric's home during the day, Hugo agreeing to sign for it, but no one would be there when she awoke except for Godric. That was why I was now speeding towards Godric's home; when Godric rose for the night there would be no one there except for Adrienne's travel coffin. In hindsight, it would have been better for me to spend the day at the nest rather than in my private apartment.

When I arrived at the nest all of the lights were on, bathing the house in a warm light and illuminating the carefully manicured gardens that surrounded the main house. This was not something Godric would ordinarily do, unless there was to be a gathering of vampires, so Adrienne must have turned them on. That Godric had allowed her this was a good sign. Letting myself in I strained my ears for clues as to the whereabouts of Godric and or Adrienne, but I couldn't hear them. Passing the empty travel coffin in the lounge, I began searching the house.

Eventually, I found Godric and Adrienne in the office. Godric was doing paperwork, as he always did at the beginning of each night, and Adrienne was sitting cross legged on top of the desk and to Godric's left. As I stood in the doorway observing them, they either didn't notice or ignored my presence. Godric continued to shuffle papers while Adrienne kept texting on her phone.

"There's nowhere to put these," Godric muttered to himself. He was holding a few papers and looking at the section of desktop where Adrienne was seated.

"You should get a bigger desk," Adrienne told him as she took the papers from him and balanced them on one of her knees.

"Before now it had always sufficed," Godric remarked eyeing the papers Adrienne had set on her knee as if daring them to move. Satisfied that the papers weren't going to move, Godric turned back to a pile of applications and continued reading. At Godric's comment, Adrienne looked up from her phone and opened her mouth as though she were going to reply, but Godric cut her off. "Don't you dare say that Eric has a bigger one."

I couldn't help but smile as I imagined what conversation had led up to Godric's preemptive remark.

"I wasn't going to say that," Adrienne insisted. "I was going to suggest that the problem might be too much paperwork. Maybe you should accidentally drop some in the fireplace or something?"

"I can't do that."

"Then maybe _I_ could accidentally drop some in the fireplace?"

"You will do no such thing."

"Why is there so much anyway?" Adrienne asked, leafing through some of the piles of papers Godric had created on his desk. "When was the last time you got yourself up to date with your paperwork?"

"Yesterday evening."

"You're kidding? Eric doesn't do this much paperwork."

Godric was about to throw another exasperated look in her direction when he spied me in the doorway.

"How long have you been there?" he asked me.

"Since you sat down," Adrienne replied.

"You _know_ I wasn't talking to you," Godric told her as he fixed his gaze on me.

"Not long," I assured him.

"I want to speak with you," Godric told me after a pause. "Adrienne, why don't you go look around the house?"

"Okay, is anything off limits?" Adrienne asked him.

"No."

"Isabel, why is she here?" Godric asked me quietly after Adrienne had left the room.

"I thought you could use the company," I confessed, there was no point in lying to Godric.

"Company?" he asked incredulously. "She's behaving like an infant."

"What do you mean?"

"You heard her before; she keeps comparing me to my childe."

"Have you done something?"

"Done something? She's only been here for a few hours. How could I have done something to offend her in that short space of time?"

"Are you sure you haven't done something?" I pressed.

"I can't have done anything," Godric insisted. "When I rose earlier this evening, I discovered the travel coffin and opened it so that the vampire wouldn't rise to the sight of the lid. I recognised Adrienne, but didn't know why she would be here. I was waiting to ask her, but when she rose for the night I startled her so didn't finish up asking her why she was here. Then I told her I was going to do some paperwork and she followed me up here."

"Godric, you don't think startling her first thing in the evening constitutes doing something?" I asked, exasperated by my Sheriff's naivety.

"No, but I explained my actions."

"She's still very young, very human; your words would not have counted as an apology."

"There was no need to apologise."

"I know, but humans insist on apologising for everything, whether they are at fault or not."

"Yeah, humans are weird," Adrienne agreed, reentering the office carrying three bottles of True Blood. I could smell my preferred blend of blood types from where I stood; it had been expertly brewed. Handing me a bottle, she reprised her position on the desk before unceremoniously plopping one of the two remaining bottles in front of Godric.

"I found the kitchen," Adrienne said by way of an explanation.

"What's this?" Godric asked, mild surprise colouring his voice as he eyed the bottle of True Blood sitting before him. I knew that he was acquainted with the synthetic blood, so he must have been confused by Adrienne's gesture of preparing it for us.

"I went for the AB negative," Adrienne told him, "I didn't know your preference."

"It's good manners, for humans," I quickly explained to Godric.

"Someone still needs to explain why Adrienne is here," Godric said after another contemplative pause, looking straight at me.

"Well," Adrienne began, "Isabel phoned Eric and asked that he send me to Dallas. I don't know why she called, but Eric was thinking about phoning you and making the same request anyway. So here I am."

"Eric was going to ask permission to send you to Dallas?" Godric asked.

"Why?" I asked Adrienne, this was news to me also. Up until now, I had thought that Eric was doing me a favour; that his only motivation was the benefit of her presence in Dallas for his maker."

"Did you hear about Malcolm getting drained and left to meet the sun?" Adrienne asked. When Godric and I both nodded our affirmation, she continued her explanation. "Well Diane, one of his nest mates, was convinced that I had done it. She's spent the last few months practically stalking me and even went to the Magister to make a complaint. The Magister actually humoured her and staged a trial, Diane's resultant punishment only serving to make her resent me even more. Because she hadn't overtly threatened me, Eric couldn't do anything without jeopardising his authority as Sheriff. The only remaining solution was to send me out of the Area."

"I see," mused Godric.

"He was going to call anyway?" I asked incredulously. "When I spoke to him, he made it sound like he was granting me a generous favour."

"Very convenient for his massive ego," Adrienne said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"That sounds like Eric," Godric agreed with a wry smile.

I could tell that Godric would want to speak with me some more about my decision to call Eric behind his back, but I couldn't regret my decision. Adrienne had only been here a few hours and already Godric was more animated than I had ever seen him in the last half century.

* * *

**A/N:** I think putting up with Adrienne's antics might be a little out of character for Godric, but oh well. On another not thanks for _all_ the reviews last chapter, there were a record eight of them!


	24. Introductions

Disclaimer – Still not mine.

* * *

**Part 24 – Introductions**

Stan's POV

The instant I entered the nest, I could detect the scent of a foreign vampire; one I hadn't encountered before. This, in and of itself, wasn't unusual because Godric maintained an open door policy. However, this new scent was also present near the private rooms belonging to the residents of the nest; in fact, they appeared to have been spending the day in the spare room. Pushing the door to the spare room open, I noted that it had been redecorated; apparently this new vampire was a permanent addition.

A chorus of different shades of greys swirled together to form the pattern on the bedspread, replacing the plain black one that had previously adorned the bed. The longest uninterrupted wall in the room had been painted with silver and grey paint. Now, it looked as though a grey forest started at the edge of the room, continuing on for eternity. Several paintings now decorated the once barren walls. They were not of landscapes or any describable thing, but were what the humans termed 'abstract'. Great swathes of rich reds adorned the canvases, the colours carefully matched to fresh, drying, and dried blood. These paintings seemed familiar, yet I couldn't work out why.

Finding Godric instantly become a more urgent need. If this new vampire had earned a place within the nest, then they must have procured Godric's favour. As one of Godric's lieutenants I needed to know who this new vampire was; I needed to assess whether they were a threat to my position. I hadn't been gone long which seemed to indicate that this vampire held a lot of influence; unless this was the young vampire from Shreveport. Isabel had mentioned that Godric had appeared interested in a young vampire within his childe's retinue; it was her hope that this vampire would snap Godric out of his depression. I couldn't understand her concern, for, as long as Godric remained Sheriff, Isabel and I didn't have any chance of ascending within the vampire hierarchy. Remembering Isabel's determination to find something to _cheer_ Godric up comforted me; assured me that this new vampire wasn't a threat.

Making my way to Godric's office, I figured out what had been so familiar about the paintings. The first was a low velocity impact spatter, I'd learned the _correct_ terminology watching human crime shows, probably from the popliteal artery. The other two were the result of arterial sprays originating from the femoral and carotid arteries. An involuntary smile curled my lips as I recalled the exact circumstances of when I first became familiar with each of the patterns. I was going to like this vampire; even if they were just Godric's pet.

Arriving at the office I don't bother knocking; Godric would have heard my approach anyway. The scene before me was shocking. Godric sat at his desk, as he always did, but sitting beside him _on_ the desk was a young female vampire. In front of Godric sat a pile of papers that he was diligently signing. After he signed his name on each one, the female vampire removed the top paper revealing the next page to be signed. I merely stood, frozen, in the doorway.

"Stan, you're back," Godric observed, without lifting his eyes from the papers in front of him.

"Yes, Sheriff," I responded, hiding my surprise and confusion behind the familiar and customary formalities.

"Stan, this is Adrienne," Godric introduced Adrienne and then introduced me to her before explaining my rank. "Adrienne, this is Stan. He is another of my lieutenants, equal in rank to Isabel, highest authority in this Area after myself."

The young vampire regarded me for a moment, with keen eyes, before responding.

"Howdy."

The blatant jibe at my preferred choice of clothing was jarring and were it not for the flash of amusement in Godric's eyes my response would have been a violent one.

"Adrienne," I acknowledged her with a minute nod.

Before anything more could be said, or more importantly before I could give Adrienne any warnings about the correct way to address me, Isabel appeared with Hugo beside her. Why she kept the insufferable human with her was a complete mystery to me.

"Are we interrupting?" Isabel asked.

"No, I'm just finishing up," Godric told her.

"Adrienne, I would like you to meet Hugo," Isabel introduced the human.

"Nice to meet you," Adrienne completed the human custom.

Adrienne was still very young so the human mannerisms that she had retained immediately put Hugo at ease. After some tediously polite conversation Adrienne studied Hugo solemnly, much the same as she had me. Isabel, however, completely misinterpreted Adrienne's critical examination of Hugo.

"He is _mine_," Isabel declared with force behind each word.

Hugo shrank back and away from everyone else in the room. Anger flashed in Adrienne's eyes, in a fraction of a second, she was standing with anger visibly rippling through her body. Another millisecond later and Godric had positioned himself between the two female vampires. His movements betrayed his intention to intervene should the confrontation become physical, but it was unclear whether he simply wished to avoid bloodshed or whether he was actually shielding Adrienne from Isabel.

"I have never drunk human blood, nor will I ever!" Adrienne spat, each word infused with her anger.

Before anyone could respond to her outburst, Adrienne had stormed out of the office. A door slammed somewhere else in the house, the only sound that punctuated the stunned silence.

"Sounds like that will need replacing," I absently commented on the splintering I had heard accompanying the slam of the door.

* * *

**A/N:** Firstly, I've switched from roman numerals to your everyday numbers because it was just getting ridiculous; I didn't know what they meant anymore. When I started writing this fic, I thought that there would only be around 10-15 chapters, which is a manageable figure when dealing with roman numerals.

Second, for those of you (us) who don't know their arteries. The carotid artery is in the neck, the femoral artery is in the thigh and the popliteal artery runs behind the knee.

Leave me a review, I love them so. Where do you think Adrienne got the paintings from? What did you think of her outburst?


	25. Reflection

Disclaimer – The characters aren't mine, but perplexed Godric is all me.

* * *

**Part 25 – Reflection**

Godric's POV

The four of us stood in stunned silence after Adrienne's outburst. No one said anything because none of us knew what to say, or what to think; it wasn't even clear what had precipitated her outburst. Hugo broke the silence.

"I don't think she was going to attack me," he said in a small voice.

Stan snorted and left the room, while Isabel focused her concerned gaze on Hugo. Most humans would not be able to detect her apprehension, because her face betrayed no emotion, but as a vampire I could feel it radiating from her body.

"She was staring at you," Isabel reminded Hugo.

"Yes, but there wasn't any hunger in her eyes," Hugo reasoned. "Her gaze was more calculating."

"That's so much better."

"It is actually," Hugo defended his assessment of the situation. "I've had people look at me like that before in job interviews and meetings with high level clients; it's shrewdness, as if by simply looking at you they can discover your hidden secrets."

I focused my attention away from their argument, seating myself behind my desk once more. Choosing a corner, I stared, until my mind began to wander, and I started to analyse the room's furnishings. Straight lines, black on grey on charcoal on silver on white; there was no colour or anything extraordinary in the room. There was nothing to hold my focus. Gone were the days when I could sit and stare at a chair leg and be enthralled for hours by the intricate workmanship and the imperfections that creatures, other than vampires, couldn't perceive. Now the most interesting feature I could locate in the room was a fingerprint left on a chrome surface. The room had changed since Adrienne had left it; there was no longer anything to interest me.

Deciding that I would go find her, I rose from the desk only to discover that I was alone in the office. Isabel and Hugo were long gone; it was less than an hour until dawn and Adrienne would already be dead for the day. My sense of time was slipping.

-----

Adrienne didn't emerge from her room for two whole nights and during that time Isabel became increasingly uneasy. On the third night she left her room, but only long enough to go to the kitchen and heat up some TruBlood. After another week had passed Isabel to speak with her, only to emerge from Adrienne's room looking extremely troubled.

"Does the situation require mediation?" I asked. The question was detached, but I was extremely curious to know what had passed between the two; especially since they had been preparing to attack each other last they were in the same room.

"No," Isabel answered in a quiet voice. "She told me the circumstances of her turning."

I waited, expectantly, for Isabel to elaborate.

"She wasn't turned willingly, not really."

-----

Another week passed and Adrienne still only quit the sanctuary of her room to heat TruBloods. I was missing her company; a feeling that was wholly foreign to me. It had been a long time since I had desired company and even longer since I had sought it out, but that was what I was doing. Pausing for a moment to note the damaged door to her room, it did indeed require replacement, I knocked on her door.

"Come in."

I stepped into the room carefully closing the door behind me and was instantly struck by how different this room was from the rest of the nest. Instead of the stark white walls of the rest of the house the walls, one had been painted with a shimmering silver forest. The detail in the trees was mesmerising and could only be the work of a talented vampire artist. I could make out every detail of the trees from the veins of the leaves, to the texture of the bark and the ants and other insects on the forest floor. There were also three paintings on one of the walls. They were done in a vivid red; the blood splatter patterns expertly captured. The red of the paintings was the only colour in the whole house, and I instantly recognised them as the paintings that Stan had been describing at a recent gathering at the nest.

"Did you paint these?" I asked Adrienne, still mesmerised by the paintings. They were transporting me back to my violent past.

"No, they were a gift from a friend. Apparently they are of blood splatters from punctured arteries, but I've never seen an artery spurting blood so I can't confirm it. I think of them as _abstract_."

"They are perfect," I murmur in response after a while, still examining the paintings.

"Creepy."

"What is _creepy_?" I ask Adrienne, my curiosity piqued by her intonation.

"You," she answered simply. "You were staring at those paintings for almost three hours straight!"

"I apologise, I find that I lose track of time more and more these days."

"Everyone zones out, I guess," Adrienne replied with a shrug after taking a moment to absorb my words.

"It is more than _zoning out_, I am afraid, it is happening more and more frequently as the centuries pass."

Adrienne does not reply, although I can verily see her mind racing to formulate an appropriate response to my words.

"I forget how young you are," I tell her to distract her from my words.

"So do I," she replied with a smile, distracted for the moment from my sombre musings. "I'm so used to thinking of myself as an adult; it's still weird to think that I could live for centuries."

How I had managed to shift the conversation to another undesirable topic was beyond me, but I quickly remedied the situation.

"You told Isabel the story of how you became a vampire?"

Adrienne was momentarily stunned by the abrupt change in topic, but quickly recovered. "She told you that?"

"Only that you had shared it with her, it is your story to tell," I assured Adrienne.

"It's not a happy one," she replied quietly.

* * *

**A/N:** A long wait for an update as far as this story is concerned, but you've all been spoiled thus far. I know, I still haven't really explained where/who Adrienne got the paintings from, but it's a coming.

As per usual, I'll include the customary plea for reviews. I read the all, respond to most, and incorporate the ideas from some.


	26. Legacy

Disclaimer – This doesn't belong to me...

* * *

**Part 26 – Legacy**

Adrienne's POV

After my quiet admission, a silence pervaded the room. Silence wasn't an uncommon thing to experience when with Godric, he frequently lapsed into long silences, but this silence was uncomfortable and suffused with a sense of anticipation. Godric wanted to know how I came to be a vampire. When I finally looked up, Godric was watching me expectantly; although there was still no pressure for me to share anything with him. I didn't think he had even realised it yet, but he was hurt that I had shared the story with Isabel before him.

I didn't want to relive the story again, even small parts of it, but I quickly weighed my options. Telling Godric would explain why I didn't drink from humans and probably allow me more freedom since I wouldn't need to be watched as closely; I would be less likely to slip up than other newly made vampires. Not telling Godric was what I really wanted to do, but I didn't know how that would affect the precarious balance of power within the nest. At the moment Godric clearly preferred the more even minded Isabel over the ever impulsive and quick to anger Stan, however if Godric were to grow to resent Isabel that favour may eventually shift. I didn't like nor trust Stan, I did however trust Godric and that convinced me to confide my story in him. At least I was telling him for the right reason, trust, I only told Isabel so she'd believe me when I told her that I would never taste human blood.

I took an unnecessarily deep breath before averting my gaze and beginning a much edited version of my turning.

"I was working in Louisiana, I am, was, an accountant," I prefaced my story. "Louisiana's so hot so I used to walk in the evenings after the sun had set, when it was cooler outside. That last night, I'd been at a business dinner, which had gone longer than I had expected; because of that I was out walking a lot later than usual. Without any warning I was grabbed from behind and a hand clamped over my mouth, I tried to fight against them, but they were too strong..."

I trailed off as I tried to compose myself for the most traumatic portion of my story. Godric remained impassive and didn't interrupt, allowing me the time I needed.

"When I woke up..." I paused again, not knowing how to phrase this next part of the story. It was a delicate subject and Godric's immense age was complicating the issue, because I wasn't sure how to express what had happened to me in a way that he would understand.

"When I woke up he had bitten my hand and was slowly drinking my blood, I was still disoriented and I remember how long it took me to realise that the odd sensation in my arm and hand was him _drinking_ my blood."

"He drank your blood against your will?" Godric interrupted me.

"Just one of many things he did against my will," I replied dryly.

Godric's interjection had, thankfully, spared me from having to actually say out loud that I had been raped.

"I don't know how long I was there, but one night Eric came. I could hear him talking with Malcolm outside the room I was kept in. When the door opened, Eric gave Malcolm an ultimatum: either kill me or turn me."

My voice had stayed steady and emotionless for the entire story, for which I was grateful, my new vampire instincts warned me against showing any kind of weakness to the older and far more powerful vampire.

"You do not miss your Maker," Godric observed.

"I don't miss Malcolm one bit," I agreed with Godric's assumption.

It felt like I was lying to Godric and I didn't like the feeling. I could easily rationalise that it wasn't really lying, just encouraging his assumption and Eric had ordered me not to tell anyone except under exceptional circumstances, but it still felt wrong.

Another week or so passed and I eventually left the safety of my room and my first post-story interactions with Godric and Isabel weren't too awkward; not that vampires really talked much. When I returned to my room, near dawn that morning, my door had already been replaced with a new one. After that I quickly fell back into my old routine and every evening after I had risen I found Godric in his office and hindered his attempts to get his paperwork done.

"Can I have that one now?" Godric asked me, his eyes trained on the envelope I was stroking. His intonation and tone had barely changed, but after living in the nest so long I was starting to notice. Right now he was amused by my fascination with this particular envelope.

"It's so pretty and textured and I like the feel of it," I pouted.

Godric didn't respond he just kept his eyes trained on the envelope.

"Fine," I acquiesced, tossing the envelope on the desk in front of him.

Godric unceremoniously opened the envelope and pulled the letter out to read.

"Call Isabel and Stan," was all Godric said after he had scanned the contents of the envelope.

Normally I would have asked why, but the combination of the mysterious envelope made from very heavy, expensive paper and Godric's very final instructions meant that I did as I was told right away. One rapid text later had Isabel and Stan quickly appearing in Godric's office.

"Godric."

"Sheriff," Stan accompanied his salutation with a businesslike nod of his head.

"The Magister will be arriving tomorrow and he hasn't indicated a reason for his visit, have there been any problems in the Area that I wasn't informed of?" Godric asked.

"No, Sheriff," both Stan and Isabel replied, their surprise showing in their voices.

-----

As promised, the Magister arrived two days later with Louisa in tow. Because of the cloud of uncertainty that surrounded the Magister's visit there was an air of uneasiness that hung in the room during perfunctory introduction.

"I am aware that it is unusual for me to attend to such a matter personally, but Malcolm was such an ancient vampire and his only Childe has already been through so much that I didn't want to simply entrust the matter to the Area Sheriff," the Magister told us.

"It is very kind of you to find the time to come here personally," I told the Magister. It was quite amazing how with just a few words the Magister had managed to pay me a huge compliment and insult Godric all at the same time. The whole exchange was just highlighting how little I knew about vampire politics.

"Yes," the Magister agreed with me. "As I am sure you are aware, your Maker was an extremely old vampire, although nowhere near as old as the Sheriff here."

"At least one vampire has told me that Malcolm was over 600 years old," I agreed.

"Well, during his lengthy existence he had accumulated a great deal of wealth and as his only Childe you inherit his legacy."

"Oh," was all I could manage in response. This was getting too complicated too fast. It was fine for the Magister and Godric to assume that Malcolm was my Maker, but it was another matter entirely for me to profit from it. Besides, for all I knew there might be a terrible penalty for not correcting their assumptions.

"If Malcolm hadn't made you a vampire then his nest mates, Diane and Liam, would have received his legacy," the Magister continued, oblivious to my inner turmoil.

Brilliant just what I needed; something else to exacerbate whatever it was between Diane and me.

"I don't want anything from Malcolm," I assured the Magister. "Diane and Liam can have whatever it is, I honestly don't want it."

That at least was the truth and Godric and Isabel wouldn't find my disinterest in Malcolm's legacy at all odd since I had told them what Malcolm did to me.

"Do not trouble yourself over the disagreement subsisting between you and Diane, it has been taken care of," the Magister told me. "I will not allow petty jealously to disrupt laws that have served us well for millennia."

There was clearly no getting away from this inheritance; the Magister was determined that  
I should receive it.

"Do you need me to sign anything?" I asked, giving in to the inevitable.

As it turned out I had to sign a lot of things. When all of the paperwork was complete, the Magister and Louisa left almost immediately. Judging by the smug look on Stan's face, as he also took his leave, this was another subtle slight against Godric's authority. That I didn't understand exactly what had transpired was yet another stark example of my inexperience and naivety when it came to vampires.

"Someone is going to have to explain what just happened to me," I told Isabel and Godric as I left to die for the day.

**

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A/N:** Sorry guys, real life attacked: work, painting, Christmas, more painting, more work, subject coordinating (summer kick-start program, I'm not a real teacher), more work, tutoring, more work, more tutoring, more work, more work, more work... that's what my life had been for the last month or so. I had two weeks where I was getting up at 6am, was into the city by 7am, tutoring/teaching until 3pm, home by 4:30pm, at work by 5pm, home by 10pm, in bed by 10:30pm and then the next day I'd do it all over again... completely insane!!!

Anyhoo, you'll be pleased to know that the next chapter is written (it was actually written before this one), but it's really short so I won't post it until I get the chapter after that at least mostly written, otherwise you'll all hate me :)


	27. Headlines

Disclaimer – Charlaine Harris and Alan Ball deserve a smidge more credit than me.

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**Part 27 – Headlines**

STAKING A CLAIM  
Miami, Florida, the smouldering viscous remains of a vampire were discovered in the early hours of the morning, just after sunrise. Jai Banks was just about to start his paper run when he spotted an odd steamy smoky vapour rising into the air and went to investigate.  
"I saw the smoke or whatever and went to have a look," Jai said. "I was worried that there might be a fire, but it was just this pile of gross sludgy stuff."  
Police were on the scene shortly after, searching for clues as to who murdered the vampire. "The Miami Police Department will be working closely with vampire officials to solve this murder," Officer Charleston said. "We will be treating this homicide exactly the same as we would if the victim were human."  
The homicide has sparked debate about whether police resources should be used to investigate vampire related crime or whether it is a human only service. Fellowship of the Sun Church has stated that is believes that the police should focus on human related crime, while several high ranking US Senators have publicly declared their support for the Miami Police Department's commitment to uphold the law.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR  
I don't agree with it, but I believe that grown adults have the right to choose whether to socialise with vampires and whether to allow themselves to be bitten. Not allowing people this choice would limit peoples' freedom and right to make consenting choices. It would go against the principles on which this nation was founded.  
- Bitten

VAMPIRES BITE BACK  
AVL spokesperson, Nan Flanagan, recently denied reports that a gang of vampires in Miami had stalked a sixteen year old local girl for up to twelve nights before almost draining her dry. The victim, Katrina Harris, is the daughter of prominent pastor of the Fellowship of the Sun church, Reverend Nathan Harris.  
"Vampires have no need to feed from humans since the invention of synthetic blood," Ms. Flanagan reiterated in a press conference, but could not be persuaded to say anything further on the subject.  
Witnesses on the scene, however, reported that the teenager was moaning and appeared extremely pale. Paramedics, who arrived in response to a frantic 911 call, confirmed that the teen appeared to be suffering the effects of having her blood drained.  
"The accusations are being investigated. If they are proven to be true, appropriate action will be taken," the AVL assured Florida residents in an official statement.  
The party line is one thing, but it appears that some vampires are taking matters into their own hands, with some analysts calling the attack retaliation against the Fellowship of the Sun church. Some fear that if the vampire leadership cannot get, what they tell us are, rogue groups of vampires under control that we may end up with a group splintering away from the AVL to form an anti-human vampire organisation; the vampire equivalent of the Fellowship of the Sun church.  
If this trend continues, we are likely to see more guerrilla tactics employed by rogue groups of vampires. It may even turn into a war as messy and bloody and unending as that seen in Vietnam.

RIOTS AT CAPITOL HILL  
There have been riots at Capitol Hill overnight, with over two hundred people assembling to protest against the new Vampire Marriage Bill that has been introduced to the House of Representatives. If the bill is passed vampires will be able to legally marry; the bill will encompass vampire-vampire as well as vampire-human marriages.  
"The passing of this bill will be a momentous occasion," said Democrat Shantel Brown, "As historic as the end of segregation."  
Others have described the bill as the beginning of the end, with many from the right describing the bill as a threat to the sanctity of marriage.  
"Marriage is a sacred union between a human man and a human woman," a Cardinal from New York told his congregation.  
Vampire supporters have hit back at the bill's detractors, likening their arguments to those raised against gay marriage; some going so far as to describe anti-vampire campaigners as xenophobic.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR  
When the vampires came out of the coffin, I discovered that I had been living next to one for the last twelve years. Kieran has been the perfect neighbour; we've never had any problems. Vampire rights shouldn't be derailed as a result of the actions of a minority.  
- Neighbourly

**

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A/N:** As promised short and sweet, this was the easiest way to move the story in the direction I wanted.


	28. Forlorn

Disclaimer – Not mine...

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**Part 29 – Forlorn**

Adrienne's POV

Vampire politics, it turned out, were very convoluted and intricate. Isabel patiently explained how a vampire's status or power was determined by their age, their rank, the age and rank of their maker, the age and rank of those they served under and the age and rank of those who fell within their authority. Age and rank appeared fairly crucial. Then it got more intricate as reputation and how much those of the same rank and ranking above the vampire liked them also contributed to a vampire's status; confusing, but not impossible to understand. The main difficulty was that I didn't know how old other vampires were or what their rank was.

There was a lot of unrest in the Area following the recent vampire attacks and the slew of media coverage that followed. Most of Godric and Isabel's time was occupied with angry vampires, while Stan seemed fairly busy making the situation worse. This meant that no one had time to pay me any attention and I was left sitting in my usual place on Godric's desk, pouring over lists of the vampires that lived permanently in Godric's Area, while Isabel and Godric settled disputes and calmed angry vampires. This disruption, to what had become my routine, made it painfully obvious that I didn't really have a life here in Dallas. I wasn't working and I didn't really have any friends. In Louisiana I worked at Fangtasia and Thalia and Pam were my friends, although the term 'friends' was applied very loosely since I didn't really know whether vampires had friends or simply acquaintances whom they despised less than others, but here in Dallas no vampires seemed willing to approach me. I came to the realisation that since I had become a vampire I had been told what to do, but right now I had been left to my own devices and that had left me feeling kind of lost. That had to change. Discarding the various papers that were supposed to help me make sense of the elaborate vampire hierarchy, I slid from my perch on Godric's desk and made my way to my room.

It didn't take me long to sort through all of the documents that I had been given relating to Malcolm's legacy; many of them bore my signature. There was a lot of money, an array of investments and a plethora of properties. One property title gave me pause; it belonged to the house where I had been held. I did not want to own this house. Pulling out my phone I sent a quick text.

'Are you pandering or shuffling papers?'

'Surveying my domain,' came the quick reply.

'I'm in the market for some information.'

I watched my phone closely waiting for the next text to arrive and nearly fell off the bed when it rang instead.

"What did you have in mind?" the voice on the line asked suggestively.

"Nothing like _that_," I replied with an exasperated yet knowing sigh. "I was just going through some papers and I found the property title for the house."

"What house?"

"_The_ house."

"Hmmm..."

I waited to see if Eric would add anything more articulate to his response, but when that seemed unlikely I pressed ahead and conveyed my reason for contacting him.

"I know that Diane and Liam were living there and that under vampire law they have a claim on Malcolm's estate. I thought they might want it?" I finished lamely and hesitantly.

"That would only make you seem weak," Eric rebuked my plan.

"What would you suggest then?" I asked with a sigh. "I'd rather not make enemies, Eric."

"Send me the title, I will handle it."

"Eric..."

"Send me the title," Eric repeated the instruction before hanging up on me.

Since Eric had made up his mind there was nothing for it but to grab a courier's envelope from Godric's office to mail the title. After putting the envelope where it would be collected and mailed the next morning I retrieved my phone and sent another text to Eric.

'Should arrive tomorrow and you're an ass for hanging up on me.'

The text I received in reply was a line of Swedish. Rolling my eyes I put my phone in my pocket. I would decipher the message later, it would be a Swedish saying that was either unhelpful or infuriating; the last one was.

Going through Malcolm's estate hadn't taken anywhere near as long as I had hoped; both Godric and Isabel were still busy in their official capacities of Sheriff and Lieutenant. I was going to have to find something that would take up a more permanent slice of my time or buy something to take up my time; I certainly had enough money now.

The realisation that I had a lot of money now was what sent me to the mall. It was of course far too late for any stores to be open, but I could still window shop. Walking through the open air section of the mall, the rest were of course locked up for the night, I was appalled at what I saw. Aside from a distinct lack of any clothing that I was interested in, I was shocked to see that many stores had signs up warning that vampire were not welcome. When I arrived at a large empty storefront the decision was a simple one and I saved the agent's contact number in my phone.

**

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A/N:** Sorry for yet another delay, but I realised the chapter I had written wouldn't steer the story in the right direction so I had to scrap it. At least you've had another insight into the more practical aspects of a vampire's life now.

Leave me a review *makes puppy dog eyes*


	29. Restructure

Disclaimer – I've checked and I'm not Charlaine Harris or Alan Ball.

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**Part 29 – Restructure**

Isabel's POV

Following the attacks against vampires in Florida, all of the vampires in the Area had been whipped into a frenzy. There were talks of going on the offensive and attacking humans and I was busy from sunset to sunrise trying to keep everything calm. We couldn't afford for a group of rogue vampires to turn vigilante; it would ruin what little that had been achieved.

"We have to do something, the humans certainly are not," growled Arlington.

"That will only confirm their fears," I reasoned.

"Playing nice hasn't gotten us anywhere," he muttered under his breath, knowing full well I could hear him easily, and I caught a few vampires nodding their agreement in my peripheral vision.

"They're reacting out of fear, imagine what they'd do if they were terrified," I snapped at the vampires in the room before storming out in frustration.

Usually I was calm in the face of any situation, but the same arguments had been going round and round in circles over the last few nights and my patience was wearing thin. Godric was the only vampire in the nest to maintain their calm.

It was difficult to find time to try and teach Adrienne about the vampire hierarchy, in particular the power structure within Texas, but I devoted as much time as I could to her while still dealing with angry and scared vampires. I was secretly pleased at her reaction to the Magister's visit, if she was going to stay in the nest she needed to know how to hold her own and not disgrace Godric. However, when after a week the human authorities hadn't made any progress in their investigations, the anger of the Area's vampires crescendoed leaving me no time to spend with Adrienne, or Hugo. I was forced to leave Adrienne to teach herself and practically ignored Hugo I was so busy. When a few nights later Adrienne ventured out of the nest alone, something she rarely did, I was glad that she had summoned up the courage to leave the nest unaccompanied. I thought about the way she was made vampire and frowned at all the small ways I saw it affecting her.

Adrienne seemed much happier and more purposeful in the nights after she had dared to leave the nest by herself. She sat out in the main room writing in a notebook and even conversed with some of the other vampires.

"What do you think she's writing?" Godric asked me, I hadn't heard him come up beside me so I was a little startled to hear him speak.

"I think it's a journal."

Godric didn't say anything in reply.

"Or a diary," I mused. "Perhaps it will help her heal?"

**xxx**

I met with Godric in his study; he was sitting at his desk, frowning down at a piece of paper.

"Sheriff?"

"The King is sending a representative..."

"Why?" I interrupted. "Sorry Sheriff."

"...to remain in the Area until further notice is given. He wants to keep a close eye on any developments with the Fellowship of the Sun."

"Who is being sent?"

"Jehan."

Godric paused to allow me to comment, but I was still processing the implications of everything he was telling me.

"I am instructed that he is to stay in the nest and that he will be under my authority, although he will have the additional responsibility of reporting any developments pertaining to the Fellowship of the Sun to the King."

"But we haven't room," I said thoughtfully, mentally picturing the nest and trying to work out where we could put Jehan, Adrienne had taken the only spare room in the house.

"Jehan will have Adrienne's room and she will have to share with one of us."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"No, but there isn't an alternative, she can choose who she shares with. I will speak with Stan."

"She won't want to share with Stan; she avoids him like the plague."

"Adrienne can share with either one of us," Godric stated calmly.

"She won't want to bother you," I reasoned.

"And she won't want to interfere with the time you spend with your human companion," he countered. "Adrienne is unlikely to be comfortable with either of the options available to her, but the choice is at least hers to make."

"I could leave," I offered. "I have a place nearby."

"That is not possible, both you and Stan must stay close."

There were no arguments that I could make, Godric was right. Jehan had to stay in the nest and it was not sound to force him to share. The only viable option was Adrienne to relinquish her room and share with one of us.

**xxx**

"Adrienne?" I spoke softly, waiting in the doorway until she acknowledged me.

"What's wrong?" she replied after quickly appraising me.

"Nothing," I assured her. "But Godric would like to see you, he's in his office."

"Nothing?"

"Godric will explain," I offered weakly.

I was nervous and worried as we walked, at a human pace, to Godric's study. I didn't know how she would react and we were about to put her in an awful situation that was bound to make her feel very uncomfortable.

"You wanted to see me?" Adrienne asked Godric as we entered his study.

"I've received word from the King that his is sending a representative to observe any developments with the Fellowship of the Sun, the vampire Jehan."

"Okay, why are you telling me?"

"You didn't let me finish."

"Sorry, Sheriff," she apologised, looking a little sheepish.

"The King wants Jehan to reside in the nest and you took the only spare room when you arrived. It would be a grave insult if Jehan had to share a room so you must relinquish yours. You may share with Isabel, Stan or me, that choice is yours, but Jehan will arrive in two nights time so you will need to decide by tomorrow so that your things can be moved."

"Oh," was all Adrienne said in response.

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**A/N:** This chapter was a bit of a challenge to write simply because it's a bit of a filler chapter to set some things up. I've sat down in front of my laptop maybe five times, totally determined to finish this chapter and it obviously didn't happen – has now though.

If you're still reading leave me a review, I think you're going to like the direction the story is about to take although you probably won't guess it! :)

**Fun Fact: **When writing this chapter I Googled "_popular 16__th__ century French names_."


	30. Enterprise

Disclaimer – My RL name is not Alan Ball or Charlaine Harris... so True Blood ain't mine.

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**Part 3****0**** – Enterprise**

Adrienne's POV

Sharing a room with Godric was a welcome yet terrifying development and it didn't take long for the new arrangement to become as natural as my sitting on his desk while he worked. The brief and stilted conversation where I told Godric I would prefer to sleep with him was another matter entirely; it was probably the most nerve wracking thing that I had ever done. While I cautiously conveyed my preference, I was cringing internally as the words _'sleep with you'_ passed my lips, desperately trying to work out whether Godric was pleased, displeased or simply indifferent to the new arrangement. After mulling it over and not coming to a satisfactory conclusion, I realised that I could drive myself crazy second guessing my decision and decided it was best to just not think about it. My last thought on the topic was the ever optimistic rationalisation that Godric wouldn't have given me the option of electing to sleep with him if he considered it a burden.

To distract myself from everything I focused all my energy on my new project. Despite a lot of time spent planning I had still encountered quite a few problems, but surprisingly enough they didn't come from where I'd expected. While I'd expected the local humans, and perhaps even the local vampires, to react negatively; they hadn't. Instead I had spent the last two weeks negotiating a licence to be able to open my store at odd hours. The main problem was that I wasn't trying to open a bar and that was the usual type of establishment that required an out of hours licence. Really, my small clothing boutique was more similar to one of the large chain stores that was open late into the night such as Walmart or Home Depo, but not even those stores were open into the early hours of the morning like my store. Adding even more difficulty was the fact that I wanted my store to be open during the day as well as the evening/early morning so that it could cater to both human and vampire customers; I had done the numbers and the store just wouldn't be profitable unless it opened during the day as well as the night.

Eventually I was able to strike a deal with the local council, without having to ask for the AVL's assistance, agreeing to effectively be double taxed: once as a _normal_ trader and again as a vampire business venture. Still, I had been able to negotiate a reduced rate on both counts. Yet it was still annoying that I had had so much trouble; I only wanted to sell clothes!

In striking contrast, I hadn't had anywhere near as much trouble as I'd expected hiring human employees. Even after the initial group had walked out of the room when I'd casually mentioned that I was a vampire, I had been left with a number of promising candidates. In the end I had found an experienced and confident business student, Hannah, to manage the store during the day and with Hannah's input I had hired five others to work in the store as well. Talking with Hannah had made me cautiously optimistic. Other than bartending at Fangtasia I hadn't had much contact with humans and it was nice to seemingly be so easily accepted by my new employees. Hannah, however, did point out that my artfully torn jeans, cranberry tank and flip flops were hardly terror inspiring.

These nights I was just as busy as Godric, sitting perched on his desk texting my employees and suppliers as he working his way through his paperwork. Hannah and I had developed a good system for communicating any problems, sending countless emails and texts to each other and occasionally scheduling a video chat if we really needed to speak face to face. Godric and I were working in companionable silence when Isobel ushered a stately and elegant vampire into the office; Jehan following closely behind. Looking up, I was surprised that I recognised the vampire.

After nearly a full month, the store was doing very well. Even though trade had dropped off during the daytime, as the novelty and newness of the store wore off, vampire patronage had steadily increased as word had spread throughout the Area, and even into some of the neighbouring ones, that the store catered to vampires. This was how I knew the vampire; she had shopped at my store several times.

"Sorry to interrupt, Sheriff," Isobel apologised for the intrusion.

"Is something the matter?" Godric asked calmly as he regarded each vampire coolly, his gaze finally settling on a somewhat agitated Jehan.

"This female has been observed entering the Kingdom three times over the last fortnight. She never rests within the Kingdom during the day and she always leaves with several bags," Jehan succinctly conveyed the reason for his unease.

"Is this true?" Godric asked the female vampire and she quickly replied in the affirmative.

"What is your name?"

"Angelique."

"And what is your business in my Area?"

"Shopping."

"Nothing more?"

"Nothing more."

"What exactly is the problem?" Godric asked, refocusing his attention on Jehan.

"She hasn't checked in with you," Jehan stated simply.

For the first time Angelique started to look uneasy as she stood in front of Godric's desk. "It was not my intent to circumvent protocol, Sheriff, it was my understanding that you did not require vampires to check in with you if they were not spending the day in your Area," Angelique apologised formally for her faux par.

"There is no need to concern yourself," Godric assured her. "That is indeed the case. Jehan, was there something specific in her behaviour that led you to suspect her?"

"No, my main concern was her frequent visits originating from another Kingdom," Jehan explained.

"Angelique, is anyone able to corroborate your story that you have only been visiting the Area to shop?"

When poor Angelique hesitated I jumped in to support her, albeit cautiously. "I can at the very least confirm that she was shopping. And if Jehan had been watching her we can compare the time of her purchase to the time she was seen entering and leaving the Area."

Rather than comment on my statement, Godric simply shifted his gaze to Jehan, while I started tapping away on my Blackberry.

"She was seen entering the Area at half eleven and again, leaving, at two o'clock in the morning on Tuesday," Jehan answered Godric's silent question.

"I'm afraid that I don't have any receipts with me," Angelique admitted shakily.

"No need," I told the room, just finished retrieving the relevant information. "Angelique paid at 1:34am and I'm quite certain that she was browsing in the store for about an hour and a half. I would have to check the security footage to be certain of that though."

After Jehan nodded to signal that he agreed this information confirmed Angelique was doing nothing more sinister than shopping Godric dismissed her.

"Actually, I cam her tonight to speak with Adrienne," Angelique confessed after the tiniest hesitation.

After receiving a nod of approval from Godric I led Angelique into the living room to talk, but not before the looks that the other three vampires gave me confirmed that I would have to fill them in on all that I had been doing over the last month with respect to my fledgling business.

**

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A/N:** Nothing much to say really... leave me a review?


	31. Revelry

Disclaimer – None of my blood sweat and/or tears went into the creation of True Blood.

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**Part 31 – Revelry**

Jehan's POV

Standing beside Godric's seated form I dutifully allowed myself to be introduced to the other vampires of the Area. Most I had met before, many spending time in Godric's nest quite regularly; the house serving as a common meeting point. Despite this, vampires dutifully queued up to pay their respects. Tonight was just another in a long line of instances where I couldn't understand my King's desire to have another pair of eyes in the Area. There had been next to no Fellowship activity, Dallas was one of the most carefully policed Areas that I had come across and even though the interactions lacked the usual pomp and circumstance that these gatherings usually demanded in vampire culture it was clear that Godric claimed the respect of every vampire present. After two full hours of politely simpering remarks, I allowed my attention to wander, I no longer pondered why Godric didn't enforce the old codes; it was simply too tiresome.

Looking out into the main lounge area, I spied Adrienne. The large group of vampires surrounding her that were jockeying for position and vying for her attention were intriguing; she was barely a year old.

"Someone's popular," I commented to Godric.

"Yes, her store had afforded her a certain level of celebrity," he agreed, his eyes momentarily trained on Adrienne.

"Have you ever been?"

"No."

"I haven't either. Perhaps we should? The store is extremely popular with vampires from other Kingdoms and its influence grows daily." The slight shift in Godric's body let me know that I had piqued his interest, so I continued to relay my observations. "A few nights ago I was in one of the bars that accepts vampire clientele and two humans wearing matching silver necklaces were accosted by one of the more unruly vampires that associate with Stan."

"Was there an incident? I hadn't heard," Godric interrupted in his deceptively quiet manner.

"There was no incident," I assured the ancient Sheriff. "Two other vampires intervened, insisting that the humans were Adrienne's."

"I wasn't aware that Adrienne had claimed a human," Godric commented.

"Neither was I, but these humans weren't companions of hers, they are employees at her store."

"Are you certain of this?"

"Yes, the vampires who intervened explained to me that the silver necklaces that the humans wore were part of the store uniform, the Celtic peace knot pendant is apparently the store logo."

"What excellent branding," Godric commented in a bemused fashion.

"Sorry?"

"Adrienne explained it to me when I last enquired after her business," he explained. "A strong brand is one that is easily recognisable, like the large 'M' signs of those foul smelling shops that sell that greasy food."

"That still doesn't explain why these humans were defended," I persisted.

"It does actually," Godric replied, with the ghost of a smile on his lips. "Adrienne is quite adamant that the store will not be profitable unless it is open during the day for humans as well as at night for vampires. Because of this she is very protective of her human employees and all the vampires that shop at her store know this."

"So they protect her human employees so that this dress shop remains open?" I asked incredulously.

"In part yes, but there are also nights when humans keep their stores open late into the night. On those nights the store is run by human employees and Adrienne tells them that they don't have to serve vampire customers if they don't feel comfortable doing so."

"So they protect her humans so that they can shop when they feel like it?" I asked. The arrangement still wasn't making a great deal of sense to me.

"Essentially, yes," Godric replied, effectively putting an end to the conversation.

The gathering was a few hours old now and I had officially met all of the Area's vampires. With my obligations for the evening met, I moved away from Godric and out into the main lounge. Although many of the vampires who lived in the Area had left as soon as they were able, there were still a healthy number remaining in the Sheriff's house. Quickly surveying the room I noted Isobel conversing with her human and Stan leaning against a wall, absentmindedly listening to a female vampire whose attire of chains and leather made her appear glaringly out of place in Godric's modern home. Finally, my gaze landed on Adrienne who, for once, wasn't surrounded by vampires. While I had been living in the Area for almost two months now I had never had the chance to speak privately with Adrienne, she was never left alone, so I seized the opportunity to approach her.

"We have not had the pleasure of being formally introduced," I whispered in her ear after soundlessly moving to her side. "Which is a shame because you are quite the celebrity." After all there were few vampires who weren't aware that she had been captured by drainers before being rescued by the Magister himself.

"Am I now?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow. If she was startled by my stealthy approach, Adrienne had done a good job of hiding it; she had passed my second test. The first had pertained to dress. While her clothing wasn't flashy the dress she wore could be described as nothing less than understated elegance. The floor length grey-blue gown would not have been out of place on a vampire queen.

"Yes."

"Well, you also possess quite the reputation," she commented, successfully diverting the conversation away from herself; she passed my third test.

"Very true," I agreed with an uncharacteristic smile. "But my reputation pales into insignificance when compared to that of our ancient Sheriff whom, I might add, you share a room with."

"I get the distinct impression that you think you have scored some kind of point," Adrienne returned my amused smile with one of her own.

"How have I not?" I asked her. "Surely I have proven that out of the two of us you are the more notorious."

"But you claim that I am more notorious simply because I share a room with the Sheriff and that's actually your fault," she argued.

"How?" I asked, genuinely interested in her reasoning.

"It would be a grave insult if Jehan were forced to share a room so you must relinquish yours and share with one of us," she replied, mimicking Godric's voice perfectly. "Or something to that effect."

"That explains the forest scene on the main wall, I thought it a little out of place in this house," I mused.

"I hope you haven't had it painted over," she said suddenly, turning her whole body to face mine and for the first time betraying her interest in the conversation. "It took _forever_ to get it just right."

"Forever?"

"Relatively speaking," she corrected herself as she turned away from me again.

We stood in amicable silence for a few minutes before I broke it once more. "Don't think I'm going to let you off that easily."

"Whatever do you mean?" she asked innocently.

"Why Godric?" I pressed.

"Why not?" she challenged before sighing and answering my question. "Well, Isobel has Hugo and, even though I think voyeurism is grossly underrated, that would be just plain awkward.

"And Stan?"

"Stan..." she paused to consider her words and we both turned out gazes to the garish vampire. "If Stan and I spent too much time together one or both of us would wind up staked."

As Adrienne spoke these words the music changed from a classical piece to something diametrically different that was currently popular with humans. The sequence of events that followed only proved that it was a wise decision to not allow Adrienne to share a room with Stan.

"Adrienne, turn that awful noise off," Stan growled.

"Why? I like this song," Adrienne replied before making a show of turning the music up and moving into the centre of the room to dance. I hadn't even noticed that we were standing near the sound system.

Stan didn't even bother to reply merely stalking out of the room, with the female vampire in two, but not before snarling in the direction of Adrienne's dancing form. Almost the instant he was out of the room Adrienne flopped gracelessly onto a vacant sofa.

"Could you turn that off?" she asked. "I hate this song, it's just the same thing repeated over and over again."

"Perhaps I should already be surprised that Stan hasn't staked you?" I commented dryly as I seated myself beside her, but not before switching the music to something less offensive. "You do seem to have been afforded a great deal of leniency by the Sheriff and those closest to him."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, starting to bristle with indignation.

"Well for one, I don't think the Sheriff would let me set on his desk."

"Have you ever tried?"

"Touché," I conceded, effectively killing the conversation. We sat in silence for countless minutes before either of us spoke again; this time it was Adrienne who broke the silence.

"You're not very good at this game," she observed. "So I'm just going to answer your question. There is nothing special between Godric and me; despite the fact that we share a room and you already know how that came about. Godric does not ask me for advice, that is what is lieutenants are for," she told me, pausing briefly to ensure that I was paying attention before continuing. "He does not share any special information with me. I am not even a year old and Godric is over two thousand years old, I am dead for the day before Godric even contemplated retiring to his room and he is already working in his office when I wake; there is no opportunity for us to interact beyond what you see in the main house. Even if there was, I would not share it with you because while I am loyal to my King and my Sheriff, you are neither of these vampires. You would do well to remember this or I may feel duty bound to share with my Sheriff my suspicions that you are not sent to simply observe Fellowship activity in the Area."

Before I could respond, Adrienne was already stalking out of the room. She had passed the King's fourth and final test.

**

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A/N:** The plot thickens in yet another filler chapter. I'd apologise, but if I'm realistic the next chapter is going to continue to be a little bereft of action although it may pick up on the end. Really, it depends how it plays out when I write it.

As always, click the button, leave me a review.


	32. Summoned

Disclaimer – None of my blood sweat and/or tears went into the creation of True Blood.

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**Part 32 – Summoned**

Godric's POV

After Isobel informed me of the minor confrontation between Jehan and Adrienne I kept a close watch on the both of them. Nonetheless I couldn't detect a problem between the two no matter how vigilant I was; Adrienne's behaviour hadn't changed at all and, if anything, Jehan treated her with a little more respect. As I kept watching Adrienne, I noted that even though she tried to conceal it she was wary of both Stan and Jehan. While her reticence over Stan was understandable, he was after all quite volatile, I couldn't fully understand the attitude that she had adopted towards Jehan. Because of this, when Jehan mentioned his plans to visit Adrienne's store, I elected to accompany him.

Approaching the story with Jehan we both ignored the 'closed' sign that was on display and push the door open to enter.

"We're closed," Adrienne's voice called to us from somewhere out the back of the store.

"Even for your beloved Sheriff?" Jehan asked cheekily.

"Yes, I'm busy," Adrienne snapped in response as she appeared in the front section of the store.

Not liking the tension which was quickly building, I spoke up in the hopes that I could diffuse the situation.

"We were just interested in seeing your store," I attempted to assuage her. "Vampires say good things about it and there is a rumour that the Queen of California's recent visit was solely so that she could patronise your store."

"I liked her, she was nice," was all Adrienne said in response.

"Are you going to give us the tour?" Jehan asked, seemingly oblivious to how tense Adrienne was.

"There's not much to see, it's just a shop," Adrienne replied with a shrug, focusing her attention on Jehan.

Ignoring her completely, Jehan started to wander the store running his fingers across every item of clothing he could reach; much to Adrienne's chagrin. Once every one or two racks he would pause and remove something that captured his interest examine it for a moment and then return it to the rack. By the time he had finished inspecting all of the women's clothing Adrienne looked ready to stake him. Completely unperturbed, Jehan perused the men's clothing in a similar fashion before the items sitting on the counter caught his attention.

"What are these?" Jehan asked, clearly delighted by his discovery.

"New stock," Adrienne told him curtly. "I was planning on updating the display."

"Where are the fitting rooms?" Jehan didn't take his eyes off the clothing in his hands as he checked the sizes. Much to my amusement Adrienne didn't reply at all, crossing her arms across her chest and glaring at him instead.

"All in my size too," Jehan murmured to himself, seemingly oblivious to Adrienne's irritation. When Adrienne still didn't reply, Jehan finally looked up from the clothes. Studying her for a moment, he realised that she wasn't going to help him.

"No fitting rooms?" he asked in a playful manner. "I guess I'll just have to change here, we're all friends her after all."

Adrienne snorted in response before balefully lifting an arm to point out the fitting rooms towards the rear of the store. Thankfully the inelegant sound masked the low growl that escaped my lips, allowing it to go unnoticed by both of the other vampires in the room.

Jehan's absence allowed silence to settle on the room. Adrienne did not appear interested in striking up a conversation, so I followed Jehan's example and quickly looked through the items for sale. Learning from Jehan's mistake, I carefully refrained from touching anything in the store, that is, until I happened upon a white leather jacket. Removing the jacket from the rack I couldn't help but admire the buttery soft leather; it was the polar opposite of the jacket that Eric favoured.

My introspection was interrupted when Jehan reappeared and I quickly replaced the jacket on the rack. I was just in time to see him strut out of the fitting rooms, modelling the clothing for Adrienne, forcing me to stifle another growl. After an exaggerated turn, he retraced his steps and returned to the fitting rooms.

"I'll take them," Jehan declared, tossing the ensemble down on the counter along with a credit card.

Wordlessly, Adrienne processed the items and neatly folded them before placing them in a bag. She didn't even bother telling Jehan how much they cost before tossing a pen across the counter so he could sign. Every facet of her reaction seemed to amuse Jehan as he collected the bag up, ready to leave the store.

"Sheriff, Adrienne," he acknowledged us before exiting the store.

Throwing a sneer after his retreating form, Adrienne turned her attention to me for the first time. "Do you need anything?"

"Would you prefer it if I left?"

"No, he just rubs me the wrong way," Adrienne assured me with a sigh.

I didn't fully comprehend the phrase that she used so rather than saying anything in reply I cocked my head to the side in silent question.

"Umm, it means there is a friction between us, that he irritates me," she explained with a soft smile.

"I hadn't noticed," I commented innocently.

Her smile quickly transformed into a scowl and rather than respond to my goading she heads back to the rear of the store; I follow.

"You don't like Jehan?" I ask as she starts to shuffle through a pile of papers, presumably continuing whatever Jehan and I had interrupted when we arrived.

"Oh, I like him," Adrienne says without looking up. "But I don't trust him."

I don't say anything as I process her words, quietly impressed by her perceptiveness. Arranging myself on the table, there are no chairs in this room, I watch her work in silence. However, when she opens some boxes and pulls out bed linens, curiosity gets the better of me.

"What are you doing?"

"Filling internet orders."

"But I though you only sold clothes?"

"I did originally, but I quickly expanded to include jewellery and other accessories and then slowly I've been asked to source specific items.

"Such as sheets?"

"Among other things and they are _very_ nice sheets."

When I watched her expectantly, not saying any more, she elaborated.

"For starters, these sheets are not typically manufactured in this colour. How many times have you seen sheets the exact colour of drying blood? Last month I was sent a photograph of some shoes and asked to procure a replacement pair. Week before last I was sent an earring that didn't have a pair anymore and asked to find a similar set; I actually managed to locate its twin."

"So you're a procurer?"

"Freelance, but yes."

"And this is why several Kings and Queens have travelled to the Area?"

"I guess."

"How many offers to relocate have you received?"

"Several, I'd be more than welcome in New York, California, Virginia or Maryland," she admitted, finally looking up from her work.

"Were any of the offers tempting?" I asked with a foreign feeling of trepidation swelling inside me.

"I like it here," she replied so softly that it was difficult for me to hear her, returning her attention to her work as she did.

I sat quietly as she finished boxing up various orders ready to be shipped the next day. For a moment I mused that our roles were reversed from how we sat in my study. I stood patiently while she shut computers down and left a note for her human staff. It was impossible not to admire how carefully she had planned the venture out and in particular how she had overcome the communication barriers created by our sleeping patterns. I waited silently for her to lock the door before we walked back to the nest.

Isobel met us at the door and anxiously handed me an express envelope. Tearing it open I quickly read the summons to the King's compound under the interested gazes of both Isobel and Adrienne.

"The King is hosting a gathering," I told them, as Stan and Jehan approached cautiously.

**

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A/N:** Okay if you haven't noticed it yet I've spelled it out loud and clear... Godric kinda likes Adrienne. In other news: leave me a review and I've put a link to an image of the Dolce & Gabbana leather jacket Godric admires.

Also, I realised this after I posted the last chapter, but that chapter got the story to exactly 40,000 words. Milestone.


	33. Houston

Disclaimer – True Blood isn't mine...

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**Part 33 – Houston**

Isobel's POV

The King of Texas was a lot more business minded than many of the other monarchs. As a result he was far less flashy and ostentatious; especially when compared with Sophie Anne, the Queen of Louisiana. This meant that Texas was a very rich Kingdom, but despite this gatherings, such as the one Godric had been invited to, were few and far between. While technically it was more of a summons than an invite, no vampire in their right mind would refuse.

The gathering at the King's compound in Houston was in a week's time and the days leading up to it were particularly tense. For one thing, we didn't know the King's purpose in calling the gathering, we didn't know if other Texas Sheriffs had also been summoned and Godric had to select someone to head the nest in his absence. There was no question of whether Jehan would be travelling to Houston which left only Stan and me. Both of us wanted to go to Houston and Godric was putting off the decision. I was hoping that it was because he didn't want to deal with Stan's sulking for the week, but it could have also been out of kindness for me so that I didn't have to endure Stan's gloating.

The evening after the receipt of the invitation, Jehan was able to confirm that the gathering was mostly a social affair. Anton would be expecting updates from all of his Sheriffs, but the King wasn't planning on taking a stake to anyone. The nest's relief was palpable, but Hugo was still incredibly tense.

"What's the matter?" I asked him one evening.

"Nothing," he answered automatically, shifting uncomfortably. "I'm just worried about Houston."

"There's nothing to be concerned about," I assured him as I shifted closer. "Jehan spoke with the King this evening and he confirmed that the main focus of the gathering will be updates."

"Yes, but what if you stay here?" he murmured hopelessly.

"It doesn't matter if I don't go. I will always be the more stable and trustworthy of Godric's seconds," I whispered into Hugo's chest.

His concern for my position was sweet, but it only highlighted his naivety; Stan was too unstable to accede Godric as Sheriff. The last thing I felt before falling into unconsciousness for the day were Hugo's arms tightening around me in a protective embrace, it would have been funny if it weren't so heartbreakingly sad.

**xxx**

The King's compound in Houston was beautiful, but far more practical than the homes of other Kings and Queens that I had glimpsed over the centuries. The main house stood sentinel to a past era, surrounded by sprawling gardens. The multistorey office buildings that skirted the King's estate had long since been purchased, drastically increasing the size of the compound. Our car was stopped at the edge of the cluster of buildings that marked the estate and once the King's security was satisfied our small party was allowed to proceed on foot to the main house.

Despite the age of the property, the interior decoration was extremely modern and a delicate balance had been struck between the old and the new. While the party we entered was by no means extravagant or even particularly opulent, the sophistication more than made up for the King's tendency towards frugality. We were ushered straight over to Anton by a nondescript female vampire and were dismissed again just as quickly once we had been presented to the King. All of the King's attention was on Jehan and all of the King's human companion's attention was on the bag that Jehan had set on the table. When Godric raised an eyebrow before casually flicking his eyes to the bag, I was able to inform him that it contained a dress; Adrienne had shown it to me before we left.

"Well, sucking up can get you a long way," Godric commented before heading towards one of the other Sheriffs.

I stood stock still for a moment, surprised by Godric's uncharacteristic use of a rather modern colloquialism, before I joined the other vampires from our Area moving about the room and socialising. Sometime later, after I had ascertained that Godric was okay – he had seated himself at the edge of the room and was being fawned over by more vampires than the King even – I noted with interest that Anton and Jehan were sitting close together, deep in discussion. Moving closer to them I was able to surreptitiously eavesdrop on the majority of their discussion.

"You are certain that she isn't a threat," the King pressed. "She seems to curry a lot of favour with the Magister and has already proven to be quite powerful in her own right. Her escape from those drainers is evidence of that."

"I am quite certain Majesty, she is very loyal," Jehan defended his assessment. "She didn't hesitate to defend her Sheriff and I have it on good authority that she has rejected some very lucrative offers from some very powerful monarchs."

"That just means that she hasn't received the right offer yet," the King continued doggedly. "Any you still haven't addressed her escape from the drainers."

"Honestly, I don't understand what you find so remarkable about that."

"Of course not," Anton snorted in response. "She only managed to call for help nearly a week after she had had almost all of her blood drained. All of which is only made all the more remarkable by the calibre of the drainers."

"The calibre of the drainers?"

"To capture a vampire of eight centuries is no mean feat. Malcolm will never be remembered as the smartest vampire, but he was a survivor; he had excellent instincts."

"I defer to your superior knowledge," Jehan simpered. "But I still don't understand why you are concerning yourself over her strength. She was bound in silver, one as young as her will be feeling the after affects for decades."

"Not so, the Magister let her drink Malcolm's blood to recuperate. At least that's what I've heard from a variety of sources..." the King's voice trailed off as he became engrossed in his thoughts. "But none suspect that you are not just in the Area to monitor Fellowship activity?"

"No," Jehan replied, momentarily surprised by the abrupt shift in topic, before correcting himself. "Rather, everyone knows that monitoring the Fellowship isn't the reason you sent me, but they've all incorrectly assumed that I'm there to keep an eye on the Sheriff."

"It will have to do," Anton sighed. "And those are your only impressions of the neophyte?"

"Yes you Majesty, she is incredibly loyal and has a very astute business mind. I think her an asset."

"Very well, keep an eye on her though," the King commanded before standing to socialise with his guests.

The revelation that Jehan hadn't been sent to our Area to spy on Godric, but to spy on Adrienne, was both comforting and worrisome. I needed to inform Godric right away, but the King's compound was neither the time nor place. My worries made for a tense drive back to the nest, but I'm sure that was mostly in my head.

We arrived back at the nest less than two hours before sunrise. All of the house's lights were on illuminating the house and lighting up much of the garden. There was little or no need to have so many lights on; we would all be retiring for the day soon, so we flipped lights off as we progressed. Sinking down into the sofa, I nervously contemplated the best way to tell Godric that Anton was concerned by Adrienne and was spying on her.

Moments later I was disturbed by an urgent call from Godric's office, "Isobel!"

"Sheriff?" I asked, instantly appearing in the doorway.

"Check to see if Adrienne is in my room."

"She's not there," Jehan informed us before I could even start to move.

"There's still plenty of time before sunrise," Stan's gruff voice sounded from the living room. "No need to get all worked up over nothing."

"She's not answering her phone," I told no one in particular as I lowered my cell from my ear.

"There were several scents in the living room that I didn't recognise," Godric added without emotion.

"What? You think she's been taken?" Stan snorted incredulously.

"I certainly didn't leave that stack of papers strewn across the floor," Godric snarled before stalking from the study.

"I knew we shouldn't have left Adrienne here by herself," Stan commented. "Trust her to be captured by humans _again_."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, rounding on Stan. "You were all for it a few days ago, especially since it meant that you could travel to Houston."

"Stop bickering," Jehan snapped before Stan could do anything more than growl in response. "Let's see if we can track any of the human scents that we don't recognise."

"Don't bother," Godric said from the doorway. "The eleven humans got into a car parked out the front; I can't track them beyond that."

"That still doesn't confirm that Adrienne went with them or was taking by them," I observed hopefully.

"Doesn't it?" Godric asked dolefully, setting a small piece of vampire flesh on his desk. Adrienne's crisp clean scent was unmistakeable, despite the overtone of burnt flesh; it appeared to have been melted off of her, probably as a result of silver restraints.

Godric's discovery confirmed our fears. Adrienne had been taken from inside the nest. It was a bold move and we were all no doubt wondering who would be foolish enough to make it.

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**A/N:** And the action/drama begins... Leave me a review and let me know who you think took Adrienne. Have I managed to be stealthy? Did you realise that Adrienne didn't get to go to Houston until the end of the chapter?


	34. Valuable

Disclaimer – The only semi-original things in this story are Adrienne and Thalia's creepy painting... the rest is not mine.

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**Part 34 – Valuable**

Godric's POV

It was two weeks since Adrienne had been taken and for the first time in my very long life the stress was beginning to take its toll. At first everything had been manageable, Isobel took over the management of Adrienne's store and we started to search for her. The problems started in earnest when Eric called me directly, looking for Adrienne and when he found out that she had been taken he was livid. From there everything just seemed to go from bad to worse.

In short, everyone was furious and a little frightened that a vampire could be taken directly from a nest. The general consensus also seemed to be that it was my fault and I couldn't have agreed more. The situation weighed heavily enough on me as I fielded calls from Eric, Anton and the Magister who were all phoning nightly in the hopes of discovering that there had been some kind of progress in discovering Adrienne.

Three weeks since Adrienne had been taken and it was difficult to hope that she hadn't met with the final death. No vampire remains had been discovered and neither had any of her blood been found with any V dealers; we were all hoping that this was a good sign.

"What is going on here?" demanded a female voice, it's tone and the amount of entitlement it held indicating that the individual possessed a great deal of power.

Looking up from my desk I was very surprised by the sight that greeted me. "Your Majesty."

"Skip the pleasantries, Sheriff," the Queen of California snapped. "It has been three weeks. What has been done?"

"Is my King aware of your presence in the Kingdom?" I asked, my mind racing to reconcile her presence in my study along with her apparent interest in Adrienne.

"Yes, of course, Anton will be here shortly," she waved a hand dismissively in the air. "Now, don't change the subject."

Quickly weighing my options, I decided that it would be best to update her on our efforts to locate Adrienne. When I was finished I could tell that she was less than impressed.

"Scarlett," Anton greeted her as he strode into the study with Jehan close on his heels.

"Anton," she acknowledged him with a quick nod. "This is unacceptable."

"There is nothing more that we can do until we have proof of her whereabouts," Anton tried to placate the Californian Queen.

"We can take her back from that church of fanatics for a start. What does the AVL have to say about this?"

"We are deeply affronted by this attack on one of our people and urge Congress to pass the VRA as soon as possible so that we will have some kind of formal protection under the law. Also, we remain hopeful that the missing vampire will be found unharmed," a practiced voice spoke from the doorway.

"You had better all do something or I will," snarled Scarlett. "If she had accepted my offer I would have kept her safe."

"Have you come to the conclusion that the Fellowship of the Sun is the only group that could have her?" Nan Flanagan asked, ignoring the Queen of California's dramatic exit.

"We have, but they are so high profile and they have so much property that we haven't been able to confirm one way or another," I explained.

"Despite Adrienne's value, attacking without provocation or proof would be disastrous. Keep the church under surveillance," Flanagan instructed as she stood to leave.

"Value?" Anton asked.

"She runs a store that employs and services both humans and vampires, it is the only vampire-owned business that hasn't been targeted by fanatics and she comes across beautifully in interviews. She is an incredibly valuable asset to the vampire's rights movement," she explained before sweeping from the room.

"Well that was interesting," Anton commented. "Has the Magister been by to chastise you also?"

"Thankfully not, a rival monarch and Nan is more than enough," I told the King. "Do I need to be concerned by California's interest in the matter?"

"No no, you only need to start worrying if you cannot find Adrienne. Especially since she is my main negotiation point in our marriage," Anton warned before also leaving.

"California, that's impressive," Isobel commented.

"Even more impressive, Scarlett approached him," Jehan added.

"Really?" Isobel was unable to keep her surprise from leaking into her voice.

"Yes, Scarlett is determined to have Adrienne ever since her offer was refused," Jehan explained. "What better way than though marrying the Kingdom she swears fealty to? As part of the marriage contract she is insisting that Adrienne be included in her boon, although Anton is quite certain that he can get her to compromise. He thinks that Scarlett only wants the bragging rights and convenience of having Adrienne's store in her Kingdom. She commented the other day that it's good shopping and good publicity."

"I'll be in my rooms if I am needed," I told no one in particular as I exited the office. This kind of gossip didn't interest me even at the best of times.

Obviously underestimating my hearing, I heard Jehan's next comment, "Why does he always shut himself away up there?"

"I suspect it's because her scent still lingers," Isobel replied softly.

"That's disturbing."

"No, it's heartening. Before Adrienne, Godric had been slipping away; she has renewed his connection to the present. The only problem will be his reaction if she meets the final death."

"What's the worst that could happen? ...no, a two thousand year old vampire doesn't just kill himself."

**xxx**

The following evening I didn't even bother leaving my room. There was nothing that I could do to hasten Adrienne's rescue so I concluded that I could do nothing equally well from my room as I could from my study. Never in my long life as a vampire had I been so powerless. That's how I spent the night; sitting in silence and studying the three paintings that Adrienne had added to my room. Trying my best to ignore the conversations taking place around the nest, I was for the most part successful except when 'Adrienne,' 'Godric' or 'Sheriff' was mentioned. When I heard Isobel speak my Childe's name however, I snapped to attention.

"No, Eric, that's not necessary," Isobel's exasperated voice floated up to my ears.

Nothing else of importance or otherwise caught my attention for the remainder of the night and when the sun started to rise I gladly allowed myself to slip into unconsciousness.

**xxx**

"Get up and have a shower," my Childe's voice ordered me in a decidedly disrespectful manner.

With a final low growl I straightened out of my crouch, my instinctual response to being approached while I was resting. In all of our years together, Eric had never risen before me; I was after all one thousand years older. Of late, however, I had been clinging to the void of nothingness brought on by the sun for as long as possible. Stretching my senses, I could feel no other vampires moving in the nest and on further examination I could feel that the sun was still in the sky. Eric must have travelled here during the day.

"I'll explain once you've showered and dressed," Eric bargained after I had belligerently watched him in a stony silence.

Refusing to speak to my Childe, I made my way into the bathroom. After closing the door behind me, it took mere seconds to strop all my clothes off and to step under the spread of the shower. Although not technically necessary, the water pelting down onto my bared shoulders did relieve some of my tension. When I was finished with my shower, I quickly towelled dry; the most time consuming part of the entire process entailed deciding whether or not to bother wrapping myself in a towel. Childishness, or perhaps territorial instinct, won out and I emerged from the bathroom wearing nothing at all, the need to lay claim to my space was strong; really, Eric was fortunate that I hadn't attacked him earlier.

Glancing at the bed I noted that Eric had set out clothes for me. Barely noticing my customary pale linen pants and shirt my eyes were immediately drawn to the leather jacket.

"Where did you get this?" I asked Eric, running my fingers across the leather; it was as soft as I remembered.

"It was in your closet," Eric answered with a slight frown.

"I've never seen it there before," I murmured as my fingers played reverently across the sleeve. When Eric didn't say anything in response, I slipped the jacket on and turned to him expectantly.

"Downstairs," was all Eric said before he slipped from the room.

When we arrived downstairs we were greeted with the sight of Stan and Isobel fighting while a vampire I didn't recognise and his human companion looked on.

"Enough," Eric roared, throwing a vase against a nearby wall to underscore his frustration. "Has Godric fallen so far as to surround himself with idiots?"

**

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A/N:** I just wanted to say a quick thank you to everyone who's taking the time to review. Everyone says it, but it really is nice to read everyone's thoughts and impressions of the story. TSOHIBAV is almost at 100 reviews, has just hit 23,000 hits and almost 70 people following it before I posted this chapter... I'm impressed.

Specific thanks go to murgatroid-98 who has reviewed pretty much every chapter and more recently to Cytopathological Expansionist who has pointed out some holes/flaws/oversights/things-that-I-got-distracted-from-and-forgot in the story.

**Leave me a review... suggestions for names for Adrienne's store appreciated (I've just realised that I never named it!), I'm leaning towards a good pun a la Eric. :)**


	35. Optional

Disclaimer – Most of this belongs to others.

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**Part 35 – Optional**

Bill's POV

Sitting in the Dallas Sheriff's nest, waiting for Eric, I felt angry. I was angry that I had drawn the Viking's attention to Sookie, I was angry that I hadn't been able to protect her from Rene, I was angry that Eric knew of her abilities, was angry that Sookie was forced to work for Eric and I was angry that the Viking had manipulated Sookie, once again, this time into to travelling to Dallas with him to search for a missing vampire. What was so important about this vampire anyway?

Eric had been absent from the room for entirely too long; he had assured me that his travel coffin would be delivered directly to the Sheriff's nest. Since I had had time to rise and then travel here from the Hotel Camilla with Sookie, he must be up. The bickering between the Dallas Sheriff's lieutenants was beyond tiresome and the only redeeming feature of the trip thus far was Sookie's delight at having flown in an aeroplane; she had only just finished gushing about it.

When Eric finally arrived, his entrance was announced by a vase shattering against a wall; at least it stopped the petty arguing.

"What's going on?" an ancient vampire asked Eric.

Before Eric could say anything, the vampire who had introduced herself as Isobel at the door spoke up. "Godric, this is Bill Compton and his human, Sookie Stackhouse. Eric has brought them here to help search for Adrienne."

The male vampire snorted at this introduction. He clearly thought the likelihood of a human being useful in the present situation about as ridiculous as I found his attire.

Inwardly I cursed, realising for the first time that a number of vampires were about to learn of Sookie's gift. Eric knowing was bad enough, but these other vampires were an unknown quantity and I didn't know how much of a threat they would pose to Sookie.

"Sheriff," I acknowledged the authority in the room. Even though I didn't want Sookie involved in whatever this was, I was intrigued to know what was so special about this missing vampire for two vampires as old and seemingly powerful as Eric and Godric to be so invested in their safe return. There was, after all, little that I could do to influence the situation.

"Pleased to meet you," Sookie added fearlessly, while I cringed at both her naivety and impropriety.

"Mr. Compton, Ms. Stackhouse," the Sheriff greeted us before focusing his attention on Eric and Isobel. "What exactly is your plan?"

"We massacre the lot of them," Stan growled.

"Brilliant," Isobel exclaimed in exasperation, falling into one of the white leather sofas. "Anti-vampire church found slaughtered, I won't who did it? This isn't an action movie Stan!"

"I could go and find out if the Fellowship has them," Sookie offered.

"Absolutely not," I contradicted her.

"I made a deal with Eric," Sookie argued.

"No, Sookie, no matter what Eric says this is none of our concern," I exclaimed, but it was too late, all the vampires in the room were considering her offer.

The predatory smile that appeared on Eric's lips was doing nothing to reassure me.

"Bill Compton," Sookie started her rebuttal, indignation lacing her words. "I _am_ doing this. If that fanatical church took her it's not right and if I can help then I have to. Eric seems to think she's worth saving which is unusual in itself, plus Pam told me that even Thalia is worrying after her."

"Well then, it's decided," Eric concluded. "Sookie will infiltrate the Fellowship of the Sun."

After making that magnanimous declaration Eric and the ancient vampire vacated the room. No doubt Eric's Texan counterpart would want to know why exactly Eric thought Sookie would be useful. The whole situation was incredibly frustrating. I could not refuse Eric. Any failure to comply with his orders would entitle him to take Sookie. He outranked me in both position and age and if I caused too much fuss I risked attracting the attention of another, much older, Sheriff.

A few minutes later I was still fuming and Sookie was still being stubborn. To add insult to injury, through the entire meeting she had been staring at the two Sheriffs, one in traditional black leather and the other in white; her pupil's had been dilated.

"You're very brave to make the offer you have," Isobel complimented Sookie; I hadn't realised that she was still in the room with us. It took every ounce of my control to keep from growling at her for encouraging Sookie's stupidity.

"It will be during the day," I reminded Sookie, hoping to dissuade her. "If something happen I will not be able to go to you."

"Nothing's going to happen," Sookie assured me. "It'll be easy; I'll be in and out before you have even risen for the night."

"If it will make you feel better I will get my human, Hugo, to accompany her," Isobel offered. "She will raise less suspicion if she isn't on her own. I know that unaccompanied women draw attention in these sorts of crowds"

I didn't say anything; it wouldn't make a difference either way, Sookie had already made up her mind to do this. All I could do was hope that everything would turn out okay. At the beginning of the evening I thought that I was angry at Eric. It turned out that I am furious.

"Yes, as a woman who has been without a man for most of her life, I know what that's like," Sookie calmly accepted Isobel's suggestion, squeezing my hand as she said this.

"Bill, I have to do this," she coaxed, sensing my reluctance to let her go. "You're the one who's always telling me that my telepathy is a gift and now I finally have the chance to help someone."

"But why does that someone have to be a vampire that you don't know and at Eric's insistence?" I pled, already knowing that nothing I said would sway her.

"That's not true," Sookie countered. "I know Adrienne and so do you. She used to tend bar at Fangtasia after Long Shadow left. All the vampires in the Area like her and she was always nice to me, not all creepy like some of the other vampires."

"Vampires can be very manipulative and act in the way that best suits them," I reminded her. "You have no way of knowing what she's really like."

"Well, she was nice to me at Fangtasia and she certainly didn't have to be," Sookie continued stubbornly. "Plus all the interviewers have said she was really nice too... for a vampire at least."

Sometimes I loathed Eric.

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A/N:** Eric's POV up next, hopefully I got Bill about right in this chapter.

**Leave me a review, poem or comment... I'm not too fussy.**


	36. Pinpoint

Disclaimer – Since last time we met I still haven't acquired the rights to True Blood.

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**Part 36 – Pinpoint**

Eric's POV

The meeting, if it could even be called that, went much better than I had expected. Sookie was the main reason for this success: Godric agreed that her gift would be useful and Sookie's feistiness dealt quickly with Compton's objections. The only obstacle to getting Adrienne back now was time, we had to wait for Sookie and Hugo to visit the church before we could take any action.

"There is nothing to stop us from killing them all right now," I commented to Isobel. The two of us were standing at the apex of a hill that afforded us a good view of the Fellowship's grounds.

"They have a lot of public sympathy," Isobel reminded me in a flat tone. "To move against them without proof could have disastrous consequences and strengthen their cause."

"I know she is here," I reiterated in a steely voice. The statement was true, I could feel her. Reaching out with my mind I could sense her somewhere below the main church. A basement perhaps? Focusing my attention on her, I took inventory of her condition. She was in pain, probably restrained by silver and she was terrified. Focusing hard I concentrated on her mind. _'We are coming,'_ I thought. The hope and relief I felt flow through her let me know that my message had reached its intended recipient.

"Far be it from me to refute the instincts of a one thousand year old vampire, but we really need more concrete evidence."

Nothing further was said and silence reigned as we continued to survey the scene before us. I didn't know what the vampire beside me was doing, but I was counting the number of humans who were patrolling the buildings and noting all of the exits.

"You are interested in Sookie," Isobel commented suddenly.

"She is valuable," I conceded.

"What about Mr. Compton?" she pressed.

"The fool thinks himself in love with her," I sneered in disgust.

"Perhaps he does, he is very young," Isobel mused noncommittally.

I couldn't stop myself from snorting in response. "And you, do you _love_ your human?"

"No," she replied. "He is like a science experiment. Humans feel emotions so much more strongly than we do and their lives are so fleeting, it's fascinating to watch them grow old and die."

The silence between us grew until we turned to return to the nest. My thoughts were consumed by Sookie and Adrienne. What would I do if Adrienne did not survive this? What would I do when Sookie succumbed to old age and perished? If I made her vampire would she retain her gift?

Forcing these thoughts from my mind, I focused on the here and now; I knew from experience that I could torture myself for centuries over the 'what if' scenarios that my mind conjured. Quickly texting Pam the promised update I left Isobel to her own devices and headed to the Hotel Camilla to ensure that Sookie wasn't having any second thoughts.

**xxxxx**

"You will need to be strong and alert tomorrow," I counselled. Perhaps you should take some of my blood to strengthen you?"

"She will do no such thing," Bill predictably ground out from between his clenched teeth.

"Um, Eric, that's nice of you to offer, but I have had plenty of Bill's blood," Sookie stumbled over her refusal. "I'll be strong enough."

"Ah, but my blood is over one thousand years old and infinitely strong," I pressed, noting with carefully concealed interest that Bill appeared to be giving the girl a great deal of his blood.

"Need I remind you that Sookie is mine?" Bill interjected. "I will be able to locate her if she is in trouble."

"Oh course," I conceded, smiling to myself over the exchange. I had been painted as the far more reasonable, Bill appearing to be a possessive fool. "I was just trying to help."

Conceding this battle, for it would clearly do nothing to further develop my relationship with Sookie. I made a tactical retreat from their hotel room vowing that I would get some of my blood in her soon. This conversation hadn't gone as I had planned and I still had to speak to Lorena before returning to Godric's nest.

**xxxxx**

When I arrived back at the nest, it was nearly dawn and I found Godric in his study.

"We should retire," Godric informed me without looking up. "You may take shelter in my room unless you would prefer to sleep in your travel coffin."

There was no need to respond, Godric was well aware of my feelings with respect to travel coffins. Following him into his room, I quickly she my clothes before folding them neatly and stretching out on the side of the bed he had indicated. I was surprised that my Maker had offered me the side closest to the door until I realised that he had reserved Adrienne's side of the bed for himself; even after all this time traces of her scent still lingered.

"We will find her," I told Godric with conviction, "I have a good feeling."

"I usually trust your instincts, my Childe," Godric told me forlornly. "But she has been missing for so long and I cannot think of a reason for the Fellowship to keep her alive all this time."

Up until now I hadn't realised how affected by Adrienne's disappearance Godric had been. In hindsight I probably should have had some inkling given how interested he had been in her when he visited my home in Shreveport; Isobel had after all reported a vast improvement in his demeanour since Adrienne had arrived in Dallas.

Leaving back against Godric's pillows I silently cursed Isobel for taking so long to contact me. Adrienne hadn't been drained this time so I would have had no trouble tracking her location; she could have been recovered days after her abduction. Even though concealing our true relationship, that of Maker and Childe had been a carefully considered strategic decision; I was regretting it for the first time this morning.

As the rising sun sent me into unconsciousness, I felt the bed dip beside me as Godric too lay down. My last thoughts were of contingency plans for what I would have to do if Adrienne met her final death; I suspected that my Maker's reaction would not be a positive one.

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A/N:** Bare with me, we're infiltrating the FOTS next chapter.

**Leave me a review?**


	37. Snatched

Disclaimer – Covering Eric in partially dried cement wasn't my idea and neither is much of this story, I'm just borrowing it.

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**WARNING!** If I have achieved what I wanted, this chapter is quite graphic and not for the faint of heart or the squeamish.

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**Part 37 – Snatched**

Adrienne's POV

I was incredibly relieved when Jehan suggested that I stay behind at the nest, while everyone else went to Houston. A gathering hosted by the King of Texas was not my idea of a good time; vampires had so many societal norms and nuances that it would have been an incredibly stressful night for me. At first Godric appeared to be a little hesitant to leave me alone, but Stan and Isobel quickly changed his mind; probably because it meant that neither of them had to stay.

It felt really odd to be the only one in the house. Every time the wind rustled through the trees or a dog barked I jumped a bit, even though I was now a vampire, just like I used to when my parents trusted me to stay at home by myself when I was younger. Even though I was fast learning all the sounds Godric's relatively new house made and it was quickly creeping me out; I was glad for the alone time. Jehan had taken to tagging along when I went to the store. More often than not he helped out, but it still felt like he was watching me.

Leaning back in Godric's chair with my feet propped up on the desk, I was contemplating just how much trouble I would get into if I completely readjusted every part of the chair that could be customised. I heard the car pull up. I heard the people get out. I heard them walk towards the house. I even heard them enter through the front door, fanning out to search the house. At first I thought that they might be vampires, but their clumsy movements and the distinctive sound of their heartbeats soon confirmed that they were human. By the time that I had put two and two together it was too late to execute 'four' and run away because they had already trapped me in a corner. That left me with only two viable options: do nothing or fight.

Eric had spent time teaching me to fight while I lived with him in Shreveport and I quickly calculated my odds. There were nine of them and there was no way that I could get past without injuring at least one; which would be a PR nightmare. The odds weren't good. The choice was taken away from me however, when I felt thick silver chains wrapping around my wrists and neck.

**xxxxx**

Waking up to the pain of silver chains digging into my flesh was not something that I ever wanted to experience again; yet here I was. At least this time I hadn't been drained and thanks to Malcolm's blood I was stronger this time too. Despite those two moderate positives, my situation still sucked; the Fellowship's motives had to be more sinister than just draining me and selling my blood; not that I knew what their plans were. It was a minor miracle that I had recognised Steve Newlin's voice during the beating they gave me when they dragged me down here, let alone working out what they wanted.

Taking inventory of my surroundings I saw that I was in a simple room with a cement floor. There was one door that appeared to have had pieces of silver nailed into it and no windows. I was relieved to not the lack of windows, Pam had once explained to me that the older a vampire was the more combustible they became; I wasn't very old so exposure to sunlight would not be a pleasant way for me to meet my final death. I also remembered being carried down a flight of stairs the night before so I assumed that I was underground; perhaps in a basement. When I took stock of the walls and they reminded me of my grandfather's tool shed with all the different implements hanging there, I started to panic.

"Excellent, you're awake," Steve Newlin crowed as he entered the room with a large man following close behind. The second man appeared to be ex-army. "Nothing to say?" he queried when I didn't make a move to respond. "Doesn't matter, out Lord would help us to resist whatever lies you tried to spout."

That appeared to be all the preamble that I could expect. There wasn't any gloating speech from the super villain like there is in the cartoons; Steve just retreated back through the door leaving me alone with the other man.

"We've got some things for you to try out," the man informed me with a malicious smile. "This is like mace, but for vampires."

**xxxxx**

Unfortunately for me, over the last thirty two days I had discovered that vampires only pass out when they suffer extreme blood loss. Passing out and not knowing what was done to me while I was unconscious would have been terrifying, but a welcome respite from what they _were_ doing to me. The only real positive that I could come up with, and I was definitely trying to cling to some kind of hope, was that at the very least I knew how long I had been gone; although that was scary in and of itself. Everyone knows that the chances of finding an abductee diminished exponentially after the first twenty four hours. I watched as many of those crime shows as everyone else and I guess it's applicable to vampires as well as humans.

My pity party was interrupted by the lights being flicked on as Gabe strode purposefully into my room. Very early on the former sergeant had decided that sensory deprivation was the way to do and as a result I was left in the dark most of the time. A truly terrifying prospect if you didn't have the advanced sense of a vampire, which included excellent night time vision. I had to admit it was a little blinding when they turned the lights back on though; so I guess it wasn't entirely pointless. In reality, the tactic was working quite well, but not for the reasons Gabe thought, after all vampires don't need to be scared of the dark.

When Gabe approached me with yet another contraption, designed to subdue and main vampires, I knew that if I still had a heartbeat that it would be racing now. What was even worse was that despite my impassive expression, on the inside I was petrified, I knew that they were running out of gadgets and soon they would switch to things that were designed to kill; those experiments wouldn't last anywhere near as long.

I had no idea what it was, but Gabe continued to gouge and hack at my flesh for hours. At first my body healed itself right away, but as the night wore on I started to heal slower and slower. Eventually the pain intensified beyond already unbearable levels when my body's ability to regenerate was slowed to an imperceptible speed and I was subjected to the excruciating pain of new injuries inflicted on open wounds. Determined not to make a sound, I forced all of my focus to listening to the sound of my own blood trickling and dripping into the cement floor. Despite its ominous meaning it was an oddly comforting sound.

When Gabe was satisfied with his handiwork, he fed me three bottled of TruBlood to ensure that I healed properly for tomorrow night's session. Even knowing that the blood substitute wasn't for my benefit didn't stop me from greedily gulping it down. I want to live desperately, although I wasn't sure if I still had it in me to seize an opportunity for escape if it did arise. Gabe switched the light off as he left, leaving me to regenerate my abused body in darkness.

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A/N:** Sorry, the order of chapters got rearranged, we infiltrate FOTS next chapter, promise. Just a quick note, I thought it was clever, but I realise that it mightn't make sense to anyone else. 2 + 2 = 4, so when you put two and two together the action you take is obviously four... probably best to just stay out of my head to preserve your sanity :)

**Share the love, leave a comment... thought... review... or whatever.**


	38. Revelations

Disclaimer – True Blood. Not mine.

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**Part 38 – Revelations**

Sookie's POV

I had never been as grateful for the sun as I was today. I've loved being in the sun for as long as I can remember, but today it had the added bonus of giving me some respite, a nifty word that I have to thank my word of the day calendar for, from the vampires in my life.

Bill had been infuriating last night; it always irritated me when he treated me like a porcelain doll. Last night it had been extra annoying though. Bill's always telling me that I have to be extra careful not to show any weakness or fear to vampires while at the same time not challenging their superiority. How am I supposed to do that if he keeps second-guessing me and talking down to me? Plus to top it all off he suddenly doesn't want me to use my ability. He's the one who's always telling me that I have a gift and that I should use it, but Heaven forbid that that's to help Eric!

Speaking of Eric, he was behaving mighty strange last night. He seemed really worried about that vampire, Adrienne. If I didn't know that he was only worried that the Fellowship had taken a vampire, I would have sworn blind that he cared about her. Maybe I could use that to bargain with him? If I find this missing vampire, maybe he'll let me out of my deal; it's definitely worth a shot.

The Dallas Sheriff also seemed really keen to find her. Bill told me that he was over two thousand years old, even though he only looks like a teenager, so surely his gratitude is worth something? I might just have enough bargaining power to get out from under Eric's thumb. Even if it didn't work, I had to try; the worst that could happen would be Eric laughing in my face.

His quick visit to our hotel room was confusing though. Bill was defensive, which was normal, but Eric seemed to be genuinely concerned about my safety. Eric's behaviour was different too, normally he and Bill would snipe at each other, however last night Eric had been so serious leaving all of the snark to Bill. Bill had actually appeared childish, behaving as though Eric was trying to steal his shiny new toy, me. And what is it with vampires and blood? I know it can heal me and make me faster and stronger, but it's still blood and drinking it is pretty gross.

Glancing at the clock on the nightstand I saw that it was almost 12 o'clock and scrambled out of bed and into the shower; it was almost time to meet Hugo. By the time I had showered, dressed, applied a little makeup and pulled my hair back into a church appropriate style it was half past, so I hurried downstairs to the bar. When I finally made it, I easily spotted Hugo; there weren't many people around during the day at a vampire hotel.

"Sorry, I hope I haven't kept you waiting long," I apologised breathlessly, plopping down on a barstool next to Hugo.

"It's fine, you're barely late at all," he smiled back at me. "You must be Sookie."

"And you must be Hugo," I replied with a matching smile.

We both ate quickly, since we still had to drive over to the Fellowship church and while we ate we chatted about our vampires. It was actually really nice to talk to someone who understood; Tara tries to be supportive, but vampires really creep her out.

"You must have thought about it," Hugo prompted me after we had been chatting for a little while.

Well, the truth was I really hadn't thought about it at all. Hugo, on the other hand, had thought about it quite a lot. I could tell from his thoughts that he really loved Isobel, but it hurt him that she didn't want to make him a vampire too. I tried to sympathise, but it was really hard. What Hugo had said made me realise that I didn't want to be a vampire. I loved the sunlight too much to give it up and forever was a _really_ long time; no matter how much you loved someone.

The drive over to the Fellowship of the Sun church went pretty quick, Hugo and I chatting about bits and pieces and making sure that we had our cover story straight – we were engaged to be married and looking for a church. I thought it was a really good cover story.

"You should probably let me do most of the talking," Hugo suggested as we approached the church.

"Sure," I readily agreed.

However, as soon as Sarah Newlin met us outside the door I got incredibly nervous and couldn't stop myself from prattling away anxiously. Listening to Hugo wishing that I would shut my yap and let him do the talking in his thoughts didn't help any. Despite my motor mouth, Sarah immediately led us into her husband's office. I couldn't believe our luck, but that's when everything started to go pear shaped.

While I babbled away like a fool, Steve and Sarah showed us around the church. The whole time I was listening real careful to their thoughts, on the lookout for anything that would confirm that they were holding a vampire. Even thought I was listening, I was still caught off guard when Steve offered to show us the basement. Actually, I wouldn't have thought much of it, Steve was _so_ friendly, but Sarah's thoughts became all panicky.

"I don't think we have time," I tried to excuse us, fighting to keep my voice bright and calm. I was quite sure that I had my Crazy Sookie smile plastered on my face. "Especially since we still have to nip home and get our sleeping bags for the lockdown."

The next thing I knew, Hugo and I were being hustled down into the church basement.

"You can't do this," I screamed at Steve and another man, Gabe, who had helped drag us down into the basement.

The two men didn't say anything in response, just checking to make sure we were securely locked in before heading back upstairs. Looking around, our cell wasn't much. The section of the room we were in was caged off and had shelves of sick anti-vampire merchandise; including a few board games. After rattling the door a bit, I had to admit that there was no way we were getting out of here without help and settled myself on the concrete floor to wait it out. I knew Bill would have sensed my distress by now and Isobel Hugo's.

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A/N:** As promised, the FOTS has been rather shakily infiltrated :)

Very short, I know, I've had complaints... next chapter will be up in 3-4 days so at least the wait will be short!

Milestones... over 50,000 words and over 27,000 hits


	39. Rescue

Disclaimer – Adrienne is mine, but not much of what's left over is.

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**Part 39 – Rescue**

Adrienne's POV

Night thirty seven had been a turning point in my captivity. My suspicions that Gabe was running out of torture implements was confirmed when he didn't show up that night, but my assumptions about what he would move on to were all wrong. As it turns out, it wasn't my fate to _finally_ meet my final death just yet; Gabe wanted to try out sleep deprivation. At first I thought that it was going to be a welcome reprieve from the torture sessions, whatever it was that had been wrapped around my limbs wasn't so much painful as it was uncomfortably distracting, preventing me from dying for the day. I soon discovered that sleep was pretty vital for vampires when blood started to seep out of my left ear.

Attempting to will myself into unconsciousness, I heard a woman scream, "You can't do this."

Judging by the amount of struggling and cursing I could hear, no one paid her protests any mind. I strained my hearing trying to hear anything else, helpful or otherwise, but nothing more was said. After the sound of a metal door being rattled I heard nothing more and eventually I managed to relax enough to slip into unconsciousness for what little remained of the day.

"She knows everything, you can let me out now," I heard a familiar voice say upon awakening.

It was difficult for me to process what was going on. Currently I couldn't fathom why I could hear Hugo's voice. The only explanation that I could come up with was that he had been sent to try and find me, but that didn't exactly gel with the meaning of his words.

"How could you? You love Isobel," a female voice questioned hysterically, as I heard a set of footsteps retreat from the basement. This voice was familiar too, but I couldn't place it.

I still didn't really understand what was going on, but it was becoming clear that Hugo wasn't the friend that I thought he was. According to the female voice, he had betrayed us. Most disturbing was the realisation that it very easily could have been Isobel who had remained behind at the nest on that fateful night when I had been taken.

"Adrienne," the woman called in a panicked voice. "Adrienne, Eric and Godric sent us."

"Shut up bitch, no one's coming," Gabe's voice growled, clearly he at least had remained in the basement.

"You're wrong, Bill's coming," the woman countered defiantly, yet desperately. "You're all going to die, you know that don't you?"

'Bill' sounded familiar, I was certain that I had met a vampire called Bill while in Shreveport. That would make sense if Eric had sent the woman. The next words that I heard chilled me to the bone, distracting me from my thoughts.

"What's the matter, humans not good enough for you?" Gabe sneered.

Even though Gabe didn't speak the words particularly loudly, I heard them easily since I had become so accustomed to his voice over the last month; he was the only person that I had regular contact with. Now, armed with the knowledge that the woman was definitely human, I continued to try and puzzle out her identity. I still couldn't put a name or a face to the voice though, I had been held here and tortured for so long that many of my memories had become fuzzy and ghostly spectres in the recesses of my mind.

My meandering thoughts were once again halted when I heard the woman cry out. I couldn't believe that my mind had wandered.

"No, get off of me," she shrieked.

I knew exactly what was about to happen. My mind cleared for the first time in weeks and I was able to assess the situation. After hearing another scream, I easily broke free of my restraints; something that I had been unable to do for weeks. Moments later I was standing in front of the only door into the room and without really stopping to contemplate the consequences I grabbed the handle, yanking it off its hinges. Before I could really register that the door handle wasn't silver, just something ordinary that you could pick up from any hardware store, I was following the muted sounds of struggle and praying that I wasn't too late.

Moving as fast as I could, I arrived in time to see Gabe wrapping his fingers around a blonde woman's ankle. Without pausing to think, I wrenched him away from the woman, Sookie, my mind realised belatedly. Once I was satisfied that my grip on Gabe's neck meant that he wouldn't be going anywhere, I turned back to Sookie to assess the damage.

"Adrienne?" she asked softly, her voice betraying her fear.

Running my eyes across her fragile form I took note of her injuries and appearance. Her hair was a mess, having escaped from whatever style she had put it in and what skin I could see was littered with bruises. Sookie's hands were tugging her plain cotton dress back into place, while her fingers frantically redid the buttons. Her hands were covered in scrapes and small abrasions from trying to find purchase against the concrete floor. I was relieved to see that her injuries were fairly minor, a little blood would easily heal them, and even more relieved to see that her _very_ conservative panties were still in place.

Without any conscious thought on my part I snapped Gabe's neck. The sound of his spine braking was quieter than I would have imagined and I mightn't have realised I'd even done it were it not for Sookie's startled jerk of surprise.

"Are you okay?" she asked me tentatively as I allowed Gabe's prone form to slip from my fingers.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" I asked, a little startled by her concern for me.

"Maybe, but you look much worse than I do," she explained, "I still have my clothes."

Looking down at myself I couldn't help but agree. My clothes had long since been shredded and I now stood completely naked save for some scraps of material that were stuck to my body. I wasn't too exposed though, simply because there was so much dried blood caked on my body that you couldn't make anything out.

"Do you, do you need some blood to heal yourself?" Sookie asked tentatively, extending her wrist in my direction.

"No," I told her emphatically, her offer completely throwing me for another loop. "Despite outward appearances, I'm fine. Do you realise how dangerous that is?"

"How dangerous what is?" she asked innocently, lowering her arm to her side.

"I'm a vampire that you hardly know and you have no idea when the last time I fed was, let alone how much I had."

"I do know you," she defended herself, "You were always nice to me at Fangtasia, but I do see your point."

"Especially since you are claimed by another vampire," I continued. "You are in no position to offer your blood to others."

"Not in a position to offer my blood to others?" she huffed indignantly. "It's _my_ blood for crying out loud. I may be Bill's, but I'm still my own person and I can decide what to do with my blood and who can... what?" she asked, her words trailing off when my head snapped to the stairs.

"Someone's coming," I commented idly, the sounds of approach snapping me to attention.

"Bill?" Sookie asked hopefully, dragging herself to her feet as she did so.

"No," I told her. "Godric, Eric, down here."

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A/N:** Well, everything will be okay now that Eric and Godric have arrived, surely? I'm sure they'll fix up the scantily clad Adrienne and the shaken Sookie.

I've just decided that from now on (the next chapters aren't written yet) I'll post two chapters at a time, back to back, it will fix the "your chapters should really be longer" problem and allow me to keep each point-of-view separate still as well. It will spread the updates more, but I think it's a good compromise.

**Review, review, review.**


	40. Sacrifice

**Disclaimer:** True Blood isn't mine and neither is the new season starting in 2011.

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**Part 40 – Sacrifice**

Eric's POV

When Sookie and Hugo hadn't returned to the nest last night, we were all worried, no matter how much we all tried to conceal it. The only information to be had was from Isobel who had felt Hugo's panic for a few minutes, but when it passed so too did our concern. Now however, we all wished that we had heeded the warning and retrieved the two humans then and there. Not knowing what was going on was maddening. We had no way of knowing what was happening inside the church and since there was no way to communicate with Sookie or Hugo, short of storming the church, there was no way of knowing that. The whole situation was quietly terrifying; the only comfort was that I could still detect Adrienne's presence inside the church. At least she was still alive.

Quietly I cursed my short-sightedness, for arranging for Bill Compton to be so thoroughly indisposed because it had removed another link, however slight, to the goings on inside the church. If only Sookie had consented to taking my blood, I would know if she was alright and wouldn't be ruing the poor turn I had shown Bill. It was now quite apparent that Lorena hadn't been a good idea.

All of these thoughts and many more passed through my mind as I stood sentinel beside my Maker, once again, surveying the large property that was home to the Fellowship of the Sun church. It didn't take long for the both of us to realise that there was nothing to be achieved by observing the outside of the church and that we would have to search the buildings. While I didn't have the slightest clue of where Sookie and Hugo were, I could sense Adrienne's general location, she was in the main building. Godric agreed that the main building was a good place to start and once inside we quickly located the door that lead down into the church basement. All the while we didn't encounter any humans, a turn of events which were quite strange, but neither of us questioned it. Desperate to locate her, Godric and I both started to move down the stairs as fast as we could. Throughout the descent I was clinging to the hope that either Sookie would be down here too or that Adrienne would know where she was.

Because Godric was twice my age, he reached the foot of the stairs a few seconds before me and as a result was greeted by the horrifying scene first. Hugo had been knocked unconscious and lay beside a corpse that I could not identify. Sookie looked mussed and not in a good way. Her hair had come out of its twist, her dress was ripped and her exposed skin was littered with scratches and bruises, the air was heavy with the scents of adrenaline and arousal. Adrienne's appearance was even more shocking. She stood without clothes and covered in healing and semi-healed wounds, which although undetectable to the human eye were clearly visible to a vampire. The sheer volume of blood and injuries on her person was shocking enough, but I could see that her body had healed around remnants of her clothing.

"Save the human," Godric instructed me. I started to protest, be he spoke over me in a quietly commanding voice. "Eric, go now."

Knowing better that to argue with my Maker, I tugged gently on Sookie's arm, also knowing better than to pick her up without her permission. In normal circumstances I would have delighted in the excuse Godric had unwittingly given me to carry Sookie, but I could see that something had transpired in the minutes before we arrived. The corpse's unbuttoned trousers were a testament to that.

"Harm no one on your way out," was Godric's final instruction before I started to gently steer Sookie up the stairs as fast as she could go.

"Wait, Eric," Sookie exclaimed, suddenly snapping to attention. "Hugo was the traitor, he was the one giving information to the Fellowship, and he told them that there would be a vampire alone at the nest that night. We need to tell Godric and Adrienne."

"Don't worry, they're both vampires and I'm sure they heard you perfectly well," I told her, amused by her panic while simultaneously concerned by the implications and repercussions of her words.

"Oh yeah, I forgot," Sookie admitted sheepishly.

Ignoring her words, I stepped in front of her as we exited the church basement. My instincts were pulling me in all directions, I wanted to check on the welfare of my progeny and remain at my Maker's side, I wanted to follow my Maker's commands and there was something in the recesses of my mind warning me that this had all been way too easy. Pushing my worries aside, I led her down a deserted hallway towards one of the exits. Unfortunately when we reached the exit, we found that it was guarded by a group of humans, all armed with stakes and one even had a length of silver chain wrapped around his upper body.

"Eric, Godric said not to hurt anyone," Sookie hissed the reminder while clutching at my arm in an attempt to pull me back.

Zeroing in on her small hands, I blinked in momentary shock as I processed the sensation. Very rarely did I allow others to touch me and it was an even rarer occasion that I did not find the sensation to be abhorrent. Pausing mid-step I marvelled at the feeling of her hands on my arm, her audacity for touching me in the first place, and wondered at how odd it was that I had no desire to attack her for taking such liberties.

"Do you trust me?" I asked her, staring down into her eyes.

Sookie swallowed thickly and shifted her body nervously. The slightly panicked look in her eyes telling me, without words, that no she didn't trust me and also that she was a little afraid of me. I would contemplate the implications of her response later.

No longer needing her to answer I turned away from her and approached the men guarding the door. Centuries of hunting humans from within their midst and learning to blend in amongst them helped me to transform my persona into an entirely non-threatening one as I shuffled over to them. The group appeared surprised by my approach and were a little suspicious, but it was easy enough to appease them. All I needed to do now was to convince them to leave me to guard this door by myself and then Sookie and I could make our escape.

"Stake!" Sookie shouted. I had been aware of this fourth man approaching me from behind, but Sookie's warning shout was the first real indication that not everything was going to plan.

It took less than a minute for me to incapacitate the four men. They were all still alive so I had abided by the general intent of Godric's command not to harm anyone. Sookie appeared at my side and I was about to yank the door open when we were surrounded by a mob of humans. They were all armed with stakes and silver; it was a pity that they had foregone the traditional torches and pitchforks, I thought wryly to myself.

I could hear Sookie's heart rate increasing in time with her panic as Steve Newlin pushed himself to the front of the crowd. While he spoke in that overly theatrical fashion that was uniquely his I quickly scanned the area trying to find a way to escape. Using my full speed and my gift of flight I could easily escape, but I wasn't one hundred per cent confident that I could guarantee that Sookie would be unharmed as well. Critically assessing the group of humans that surrounded us I noted that none of them were warriors; all of them were in fact terrified and could barely hold their stakes in their trembling hands. Their arsenal didn't include much silver and what little they did have was only thin chains. Making a split second decision I decided that even though the silver would weaken me I should be able to escape quite quickly.

"I offer myself in exchange for Adrienne and the girl," I told Newlin, there was no need to let him know that Godric was here as well.

**

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A/N:** Whoops these chapters took longer to write than I thought. Then I had to type them up since I've been writing in bed in the evenings. That also took longer than I anticipated. I'll pop the next chapter up in a few just need to type it up too. Next chapter is the much anticipated Godric's reaction to the unclothed Adrienne.

With the whole silver thing, I though the chains they used to restrain Eric at the FOTS were really thin and although it looked like he was contained and Sookie freed him I just don't buy it. Eric's an old vampire and awesome I think a little more silver than that is needed.


	41. Shock

**Disclaimer:** I'm counting down the days, or months rather, until season 4 starts and I still don't own any of it.

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**Part 41 – Shock**

Godric's POV

Hearing the familiar voice call out to us as we moved through the church was an enormous relief, and travelling at the fullest extent of my speed I traced the sound to its source and made my way down into the church basement. My Childe was close behind.

The calmness and evenness of Adrienne's tone of voice was both comforting and frightening and in no way prepared me for the sight that greeted me at the foot of the stairs. While my keen senses registered the two humans who were also in the room, they weren't a threat and I disregarded them completely, all my attention was absorbed by Adrienne. She was covered almost head to toe in so much blood that it unsettled even me with my torrid past. It was a small relief when I noted that her body had no open wounds. Although that wasn't to say that I couldn't see any injuries on her body; littered across her skin there was evidence of the wounds her body had sustained. It was clear that she had been tortured.

"Save the human," I told Eric without taking my eyes off of Adrienne. Even amongst the cacophony of scents that lingered in the room, I could make out the minuscule amount of Sookie's blood had been shed and I needed to ensure that the human who had volunteered to help us was not forgotten. After witnessing my Childe's infatuation with the woman over the last few evenings, I felt secure in the knowledge that Eric would ensure her safety.

"Eric, go now," I ordered, recognising the telltale signs of the Viking's hesitation. That Eric hesitated to follow my command at all was troubling and I resolved to further analyse this development later.

As Eric moved to comply, I refocused all of my attention on Adrienne only to note, with trepidation, her complete lack of tangible reaction to the exchange. This was alarming. Even though Eric and I had arrived mere moments ago, it had taken us seconds to absorb all of the details of the situation; Adrienne should have reacted to our presence by now. As it stood, she hadn't appeared to have moved since she called us down to the basement. Her lack of response was worrying and made me wonder whether her injuries were more severe than I had originally assessed them to be.

"Harm no one on your way out," I reiterate my earlier orders as Eric propelled the human up the stairs.

Once Adrienne and I were left alone it suddenly became glaring obvious that she wasn't wearing any clothing. The sight nearly made me come undone and I was unable to prevent my fangs from sliding into place. Silently I stalked towards her as I continued my appraisal of her condition. This situation I had found myself in was difficult for me to comprehend because it had been centuries since I had last felt so intensely, I didn't know how to respond and I was under no illusion that my eyes looked anything but feral and unhinged at the moment. Thankful that Adrienne didn't appear to be scared by my actions. I worried that she still hadn't acknowledged my presence, but when I was standing directly in front of her, I belatedly realised that my lack of restraint was in large part due to the dried blood that was caked over her whole body. The scent of arousal in the room, her nakedness and all of the blood was appealing to my baser instincts and I was struggling to remain in control.

"Wait, Eric," Sookie's alarmed voice cut off my introspection. "Hugo was the traitor, he was the one giving information to the Fellowship, and he told them that there would be a vampire alone at the nest that night. We need to tell Godric and Adrienne."

As the both of us listened to Eric's amused yet impatient voice soothe Sookie's fears, we both turned our gazes to the unconscious form of Hugo. I didn't know what Adrienne's thoughts were, but I felt betrayal and sadness over Hugo's actions. The emotions were just enough to curb my instincts once again and allowed me to start quickly unbuttoning my shirt.

"Poor Isobel," Adrienne murmured quietly. "She felt very strongly about Hugo. I would even go so far as to say that she loved him."

Silently agreeing with her statement, I handed Adrienne my shirt which she took wordlessly and obediently put on. Due to my small stature the shirt didn't cover much, but it was a significant improvement, it was a relief when some of her creamy blood-soaked skin was concealed.

"We should go," I prompted her softly, still wary that her mask might crumble at any second. I was dreading her reaction to being held captive and tortured for a month, although anything would be better than her current silence.

"We should go to my room first," she quietly disagreed. During those few words her gaze had dropped from my face to my torso and she was now tracing the patterns of my many tattoos, something that I had caught her doing on numerous occasions in my rooms. A brief glimmer of my confusion must have shown on my face because, with barely a pause, she elaborated. "The room they kept me in is full of all the things they have made to use against vampires. We should destroy them all. Hopefully it will take them some time to replace them and they might even struggle to recreate a few of them."

It angered me that she thought of this room as her own. After considering the wisdom of her words, I motioned for her to lead the way.

The further we progressed down the windowless corridor the stronger the scent of her blood became and the more it enveloped my senses. Its strength and its familiarity unnerved me and I almost regretted the decision to investigate the room. When we reached the room where Adrienne had been imprisoned, I did regret the decision. Considering where we were the room was quite large and the walls were lined with rows and rows of different devices. I recognised many of them as duplicates or variations of things that I had encountered over the centuries, all of which were undoubtedly designed to injure, torture or kill a vampire. What sickened me most about the room was that the floor, and a good portion of the walls, were coated in Adrienne's blood. It was easy for me to pick out where blood had been splashed across blood that had previously soaked into and dried on the concrete, but the most disturbing thing was that my fangs had run down again. While I could try and tell myself that I was simply angered by Adrienne's treatment, truthfully, I knew that I was aroused by the blood and mayhem of the room.

Ignoring my internal battle Adrienne walked calmly into the room, picked up the nearest device and demolished it until all that remained was dust. When she was done she moved onto another device and once I had reasserted some control over myself I joined her. With the two of us working quickly it didn't take long for us to finish and my only regret was that Adrienne hadn't used the contents of the room to vent any of the anger that must be coalescing inside of her.

"Stake!" a female voice called from somewhere in the main portion of the building.

Adrienne didn't react to the cry at all, she had either retreated inside herself or perhaps she simply hadn't heard it. When I grabbed her arm to encourage her to start exiting the room, she wasn't startled in the least so I decided that she mustn't have heard.

"I think Eric and Sookie have run into some trouble," I explained in response to her questioning gaze. Worry flickered behind her eyes for a moment and I was relived to discover that Adrienne was still there and she hadn't shut herself off completely.

Knowing that our thoughts were in alignment I started back to the stairs only to be concerned all over again by how slowly she was moving. She was having considerable trouble keeping pace with me and I had already purposely slowed my pace. There was no doubt in my mind that she wouldn't survive a confrontation with even the weakest and most unskilled human in the state she was in so I quickly dragged her to a sheltered area overlooking the main chapel and forced her to take shelter.

"I'm going to find Eric and Sookie. Under no circumstance are you to follow me or engage in a fight. You are not to leave here unless Eric or I come to retrieve you and if you hear a fight break out you are to leave immediately. Run to the woods surrounding the compound and go to ground until tomorrow evening when you can make your way back to the nest. The most important thing is that you remain safe. Do you understand?" I asked her, my voice hard and uncompromising. The shaky nod I received in response wasn't comforting in the slightest.

Peering over the balustrade I had an unimpeded view of the chapel and the sight that greeted me wasn't good. Eric was lying prostrate on an alter with thin silver chains draped across him, the silver wasn't enough to cause him much damage or weaken him much so I concluded that however he arrived where he was now he had had a plan at the time. Whatever that was didn't appear to be going as he had hoped. Two large men were holding Sookie, Reverend Newlin was holding a handgun in unsteady hands, the young vampire Bill Compton was practically foaming at the mouth as he tried to find a way to Sookie's side and a large contingent of Dallas vampires were scattered around the room holding Newlin's congregation hostage.

The situation was a rapidly deteriorating mess. I wasn't sure how to fix it and to make matters worse some of the vampires were starting to scent Adrienne's blood and it was starting to excite them and incite their bloodlust.

**

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A/N:** Well Adrienne is almost saved now. Isn't that nice?

A few reviewers have been asking me whether Godric knows that Eric is Adrienne's maker and the answer is no, although he does suspect. He will find out very soon though and I'm sure the more discerning readers will have picked up on some of the things that Godric was noticing in this chapter which were fuelling his suspicions. Don't worry, he'll find out soon.

**(14-Oct):** There's been a quick rewrite of this chapter. The content is the same, but I hope I've fixed up some of the grammar and made the chapter flow better. I struggled a bit with this one and that resulted in a bit of a sticky mess... sorry about that guys (and gals).


	42. Bedlam

**Disclaimer:** 95 days until season four starts and I'm not affiliated with any of it.

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**Part 42 – Bedlam**

Sookie's POV

When Eric and Godric had arrived to rescue us, everything had seemed to be going so well. It all quickly went to the dogs though as first our exit was blocked by a bunch of guys with stakes and then Eric ended up lying on the church alter under a silver chain. Things just went from bad to worse after that.

First, two huge guys grab me rather than letting me go like Eric said they should, then Bill arrives acting like a demented knight in shining armour only to get grabbed as well, when finally, Stan bursts through the main church doors with a bunch of vampires lookin' like punk rockers crossed with a motorcycle gang. Within the space of a few minutes we'd gone from being manhandled to all the folks here for the lockdown or lock in or whatever being threatened at fangpoint by a bunch of vampires. It was enough to make my head spin.

Things seemed to get a little bit better when Godric arrived, but then Mr. Newlin started taunting Eric. A really stupid thing to do since Eric was royally pissed off and had his hand clamped around Mr. Newlin's throat. Eric only let him go when Godric told him to.

Godric was really amazing when he talked about peace to the congregation though. I'm not sure whether it made much of a difference though since everyone was so scared that they were about to pee their pants. When Godric asked them whether any of them would die for Mr. Newlin, all the colour drained from their faces leaving them a sickly greeny-white colour. I figured on that meaning no, Godric did too.

"Everybody stand-down," Godric directed the vampires.

Reluctantly, all the vampires in the room did as he ordered, but they didn't look none too happy about it and none of them stepped away from the people they had grabbed.

"It's over now, go home," he told the congregation.

It took them a moment to start moving, but when none of the vampires moved, they quickly scurried out of the church.

As soon as the perceived danger had passed, Bill appeared by my side. He was near frantic as he asked me what happened, whether I was okay and a whole host of other questions. His overbearing questioning, more like interrogation, couldn't hold my attention though as I watched Eric leave my side and approach Godric.

"Where is Adrienne?" Eric asked Godric. It still surprised me how Eric _asked_ Godric things rather than demanding the information.

That was all that I was about to hear him say and I heard none of Godric's reply before my concentration was broken by Bill shaking me none too gently.

"Sookie, are you sure you're alright?" Bill asked me, the worry clear in his voice as he gave me another sharp shake.

"Yes, I told you I was fine, no thanks to you," I snapped.

Ordinarily, I'm a pretty patient person, forgiving and good, a Christian to boot, but after being sold out, locked in a basement and almost raped, my temper was on its last tether. He wasn't there, he didn't save me, heck he only _just_ arrived.

"Where were you?" I practically snarled at him. "Didn't you _feel_ me? I was terrified."

"Sookie, please, let me explain," Bill practically whined in his classic Southern drawl. "It was Eric."

Hearing _those_ three words out of Bill's mouth, right now, after everything that had happened over the last twenty four hours really was the limit. Seeing Godric practically carrying Adrienne down some stairs near the main doors of the church was all the motivation I needed and I left Bill standing by himself, hopefully gaping, as I hurried across the church to check on Adrienne. She had just saved me after all.

After barely two steps, Bill was by my side, again. I could tell that he wanted to keep pestering me with question, but, wisely, he kept his mouth shut.

"Is she going to be alright?" I blurted the second we reached Eric and Godric.

"Nothing a little blood won't fix," Eric assured me, noticeably more relaxed now that he and Godric had Adrienne.

When I looked to Godric, he nodded, confirming Eric's words. I felt so relieved that she was going to be okay; I could still see the silver burns crisscrossing her skin. I had a vague understanding of how much energy it took for a vampire to escape once they were bound by silver and she did it to rescue me. Everyone came to rescue me except Bill.

"Sookie, she is vampire, she will be fine," Bill insisted after I continued to state at Adrienne, I could hear the irritation in his voice.

I could only stare at Bill in disbelief and was about to give him a good tongue lashing, but Godric quickly diffused the situation before I could get all of my thoughts in order.

"Why don't you both accompany us back to the nest?" Godric asked kindly. "There are many others who are also concerned for Adrienne's welfare who would like to see her."

"We'll meet you there," Bill answered before I could. "Sookie needs to shower and change her clothes."

"Don't be ridiculous," Adrienne chimed in, clearly paying close attention to the conversation despite her weakened state. "She can shower at the nest and Isobel or I can lend her some clothes, either way, she's perfectly capable of making her own decisions."

'Hallelujah,' I thought to myself. Adrienne was quickly becoming my favourite vampire, first she saves me and then she points out that I have a perfectly good head sitting on my shoulders.

"Yes, but I'm sure she'll feel more comfortable in her own clothing," Bill continued before anyone else could say anything.

"Let's go," Adrienne complained, poking Eric in the chest and kicking her legs out like an impatient child.

"What would you like to do?" Eric asked me, completely ignoring Adrienne's antics as he continued to hold her in his arms. Godric hasn't reacted either so I was beginning to think the cheeky behaviour was normal for her. Adrienne was definitely my new favourite vampire.

"How are we getting to the nest?" I asked, following Godric out of the church and glad to finally get a word in.

"We'll drive, of course," Godric answered easily. "If you'd wanted to return to the Hotel Carmilla, however, we would have allowed you the car and travelled by other means to the nest."

After Godric had disappeared into the car, I turned with a questioning gaze to Eric. Adrienne was the one to answer my silent question though, flapping her arms a few times in response.

"Fly?" I silently mouthed in disbelief.

Eric's smirk was all the answer I needed as I slid, dumbstruck, into the back seat of the car.

The drive to the nest was silent and tense. As the shortest I had the dubious honour of sitting in the middle between Eric and Bill. Eric held Adrienne in his lap and she stretched her legs out across my lap so that her feet were resting on Bill. Adrienne claimed it was because her legs hurt, but I suspected it was just a ploy to annoy Bill. Godric and Eric didn't do or say anything about it so he was forced to sulk in silence. Thankfully, the drive didn't take too long.

Once we'd entered the beautiful house that was Godric's nest everyone went their separate ways. Bill was in the middle of asking if there was a guest room where I could shower when Adrienne snatched up my hand and started to drag me up the stairs. Stan and a vampire with a French accent threw a few insults at Bill about showers and no amount of scrubbing being able to fix his ugly face, while Eric leaned against the wall and watched with a smirk on his face. All of a sudden the anger colouring Bill's features turned into fear.

"Where are you taking her?" he ground out, his head snapping around to look at us and level a glare at Adrienne's back.

"To shower and change," Adrienne huffed in response.

"Eric," Bill begged. "She's a young vampire who has been gravely injured, it's not safe."

"Relax, Bill, Sookie will be fine. You worry too much," was all Eric said in response, turning to follow Godric into his study.

I would have laughed at the situation downstairs and the expression on Bill's face when he didn't get his way if I hadn't been so shocked at being dragged off by Adrienne. I wasn't able to see what Bill did next because Adrienne dragged me into a room and shut the door firmly behind us.

**

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A/N:** Yes, I know, I dropped completely off the radar. It wasn't intended, but I've been busy with RL and just didn't have time to write. Apologies all round.

I've written the next chapter, but I don't have time to edit it and post it up tonight. I'll do it tomorrow, but I thought you'd all waited long enough for an update.


	43. Showers

**Disclaimer:** 93 days until season four starts and it all still belongs to Charlaine Harris, but I can count so that's something at least.

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**Part 42 – Showers**  
Adrienne's POV

"Just leave your clothing there," I told Sookie after closing the bedroom door, waving my hand in the general direction of the corner. "I'm thinking bonfire myself."

After deciding that Sookie should shower first, I removed Godric's shirt and started to peel away what remained of my own clothing. A moment later I realised that Sookie hadn't moved an inch from where I had left her by the door.

"Are you okay?" I started to ask before I was hit by the scent of her fear.

It took me a moment to process and react to the situation. If I wasn't freaking Sookie out I would have laughed at how oblivious I was to Sookie's human needs after such a short stint as a vampire.

"Sorry, I wasn't thinking," I apologised. I turned on a bedside lamp before moving towards the main light switch, all the while explaining what I was doing. "I'll turn the main lights on as well."

Once the room was lit up, Sookie started to relax, but I could tell that she was still tense.

"Why don't you shower first?" I suggested, hoping that if I just carried on like normal she'd calm down. "I still have to get rid of the material that has been fused into my skin when I regenerated and you are covered in way less blood, you'll be faster."

"Oh Lord," Sookie muttered, mortified as she looked at herself and noticed what a state she was in. Her neck and face started to burn scarlet.

"You'll feel better after a shower, as clichéd as that sounds," I gently assured her. "When you're finished you can raid my closet, there are robes in the bathroom."

Fifteen minutes later I had cleaned away most of the material that had been fused into my skin and Sookie emerged from the bathroom freshly showered, but still unsure around me.

"Help yourself to anything you'd like," I told her cheerfully before disappearing into the bathroom myself.

When I exited the bathroom a few scant minutes later it was to find Sookie perched on the edge of the bed looking _very_ awkward.

"Couldn't find anything you like?" I asked her, starting to rummage through one of my closets for something to wear.

"Umm, I only looked in that one," Sookie mumbled, clearly embarrassed. "It was all men's clothing."

"Oh," I said with laughter in my voice. "Out of the four closets in the room you managed to pick the only one that's Godric's."

"Will he be angry?" Sookie asked, a little fearfully, her voice small.

"Don't be ridiculous," I chided, cutting her off. "Now, what would you like to wear?"

After I dressed myself it took another few minutes to talk Sookie into accepting a pair of rather expensive designer jeans and a white trench. She couldn't wear anything too fancy underneath because we had to improvise something that gave her a little support; her bra had been ruined in the basement.

"I'm really sorry I freaked out on you before," Sookie apologised while we were picking out shoes. "You've been really kind."

"Don't worry about it," I assured her. "I'm the one who should apologise. It's embarrassing, really, I'm still more human than vampire and I forgot you'd need the lights on! It's perfectly understandable that you were worried."

"Not really," Sookie objected. "I've only ever been afraid of vampires on a few occasions and Eric was sure that I'd be safe with you even if Bill wasn't, I should know by now that I can trust Eric; for the most part anyway."

"Bill didn't trust me with you?" I asked, completely ignoring her comment about Eric, the hurt evident in my voice.

"Yeah, Bill was worried since you're so young and have been hurt so badly that you mightn't have been able to control your bloodlust," she explained. "He was obviously wrong though."

"I've never fed from a human," I told her, my voice low as though I were making a dark confession, which, since I am a vampire, I was really. "Bill knows that."

"Seriously?" Sookie asked, unable to keep the surprise out of her voice.

"Yeah, I can't stomach the thought of it. I was fed on against my will for a couple of weeks before I was turned. It just really freaks me out."

"You should report it," Sookie cried. "That's so illegal."

"Are you shitting me?" I asked her in disbelief. "Even if it wasn't covered up, I'm a vampire now and the inevitable backlash against vampires would affect me too."

"Oh yeah," Sookie agreed sheepishly. "But still, they shouldn't be allowed to get away with that."

"They didn't," I told her with conviction, making a split second decision not to tell her that Malcolm basically did get away with it. "Eric doesn't usually care much for humans, but he makes sure that vampires in his Area follow the rules."

"Good."

"Good?" I asked her, cocking my eyebrow in a terrible impersonation of Eric.

"Yes, good. I'm not naive. Well, at least, I'm not I _that_ naive. I have a pretty good idea of what Eric's kind of law enforcement would be like and I'm sure Malcolm deserved every minute of it."

"He sure as hell did," I muttered darkly, my mood completely ruined by thoughts of Malcolm's hand on me.

"What did Eric think about your not feeding from humans?" Sookie asked softly.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confusion evident in my voice.

"I mean, Eric and the other vampires are always getting down on Bill for mainstreaming, they weren't awful to you were they?"

"Goodness no, Eric was very understanding, especially considering he's over one thousand years old, a vampire _and_ a guy. No one would've dared to say anything about it," I assured her. Deciding that we needed less conversation about heavy stuff at the moment, I changed the topic. "Come on, I mightn't be about to sink my fangs into your neck, but I really need some True Blood."

"Oh sure," Sookie quickly agreed, heading towards the door. "What are these?"

"Priceless historical artefacts," I suggested, following her gaze to a shelf of stuff Godric had collected. "No idea, ask Godric, they're his."

**

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A/N:** Perhaps I should have been vaguer when I promised to get this chapter up? I promise I'll upload it tomorrow, unless I get called into work, who knows?

Anyways, I'm going to attempt to tackle some serious emotional stuff in the coming chapters so we'll se how that goes.

I love reviews, even if they're just short one-liners, so leave me a review please!


	44. Confessions

**Disclaimer:** True Blood isn't mine... sad face.

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**Part 44 – Confessions**  
Eric's POV

By the time Sookie and Adrienne came downstairs, most of the Area's vampires had arrived. Now Bill no longer had to restrain himself from rushing up the stairs to check on Sookie's welfare, which had been amusing to watch. I'd been half hoping he would, just to see Godric's reaction; he would after all have been storming into Godric's room. To Bill's palpable relief the two women descended the stairs, totally relaxed around one another and then to my amusement and Bill's consternation walked right by him, headed in the direction of the kitchen. Bill immediately made to follow them. Partly because both Sookie and Adrienne looked relaxed, partly because I wanted to eavesdrop on their conversation and partly because I knew it would annoy Bill further, I cut him off before he could get very far.

"I doubt Godric would be pleased if you upset Adrienne, Bill," I reminded him. I honestly couldn't help myself.

"I'm not going to upset her," Bill seethed.

"So you're going to upset Sookie?"

It was comical to watch the emotions flit across the younger vampire's features, although he was already so riled up that there was little sport to be had pushing him further; not that I had ever allowed that to deter me in the slightest.

"Eric," Bill growled a warning to me, which considering our age difference was laughable.

"Don't forget that Adrienne hasn't fed yet, she could snap at _any_ moment," I reminded Bill, completely ignoring his blatant disrespect, before sauntering off in the direction of the kitchen.

The scene that greeted me when I reached the kitchen door was perplexing to say the least, but I took the easy interaction between Adrienne and Sookie as a good sign. I still wanted Sookie and I was determined to steal her away from Bill to claim her as mine. Sometimes I entertained the thought of just forcibly taking her from Bill, as was my right, but the potential satisfaction of knowing that Sookie chose me of her own free will was extremely alluring. That she got along so well with my children was a very promising sign indeed. That my children got along with her was even more gratifying.

Sookie's shrill voice as she vented her frustration drew my attention to their conversation.

"He didn't even come!" Sookie exclaimed in disgust as she monitored whatever was heating in the microwave; obviously referring to Bill's no show.

"I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation," Adrienne soothed, tending something on the stovetop.

"Indeed there is, Sookie," Bill's voice reverberated through the kitchen as he entered.

"Here, I guarantee that this is the best hot chocolate you'll ever taste." Taking no notice of Bill, Adrienne sang the praises of the beverage she was sliding across the bench to Sookie.

"This is going to be good, I can tell," was Sookie's extremely out of character response, completely ignoring the steaming mug not sitting in front of her.

"It wasn't my fault, Sookie," Bill pleaded with the human, fervently seeking her understanding. "My Maker, I don't know why she is here... I could feel you, but I couldn't get to you."

Sookie was unmoved by Bill's explanation of his absence, in fact, it only seemed to incense her further. I couldn't help but smirk at the wedge I had managed to push between them, especially when Adrienne caught my eye and raised her eyebrow in question as she glanced quickly between Bill, Sookie and me. I could pinpoint the instant that understanding dawned on her, having forgotten that she had left for Dallas before my designs on the blonde barmaid had become general knowledge in Shreveport.

The shrill beeping of the microwave finishing broke the silence in the kitchen, but Sookie's eyes didn't move from Bill's. Bill was clearly trying to convey contrition as Sookie searched his eyes for something, while Adrienne just looked on with barely veiled interest. After another moment, Sookie turned away and removed the bottled of TruBlood she had warmed in the microwave and after a quick shake she set it on the countertop.

"It's not for you," Sookie snapped angrily as she batted away the hand Bill had extended towards the bottle.

Bill's confused expression would be a cherished memory for some years to come.

"But Sookie..." Bill started to protest, his Southern accent grating against my ears.

"Thanks," Adrienne said brightly, cutting off whatever Bill had been about to say as she claimed the bottle of TruBlood for herself.

"My pleasure," Sookie assured Adrienne, effectively dismissing Bill. "You should hurry up and drink that, you're pale, even for a vampire."

"But, Eric..." Bill began again.

"But Eric nothing," Sookie snapped. "As wonderful as I'm sure Eric thinks he is he has nothing to do with us. This is about you and me and the simple fact that you weren't there!"

Bill, for once, took the hint and slunk from the room, his mien wasn't defeated though, it was angry. Adrienne had noticed too and she surreptitiously threw me a look letting me know that she didn't think this little confrontation was over.

"Oh, wow," Sookie exclaimed but a moment later, the steaming mug of hot chocolate in hand. "This is absolutely delicious."

"I know," Adrienne assured her with a smug smile. "I'm the Hot Chocolate Queen. Now drink up before you go into shock or something."

"I'm not going to go into shock," Sookie objected indignantly.

"All the same, the hot drink will help," Adrienne continued. "You've been through quite an ordeal and the trauma of it is going to catch up with you eventually."

"We both have," muttered Sookie as she obediently drank the hot chocolate and set another TruBlood in the microwave to heat up.

"I know," sighed Adrienne just as quietly.

"Are you going to go into shock?" Sookie asked curiously.

"I don't think so," Adrienne answered slowly, considering her answer carefully.

"Is it because you're a vampire?" Sookie asked, her innocence catching me off guard once again.

"No, I've just been pushing it all aside," Adrienne told her, the sincerity and honesty adding a tangible quality to her voice. "I haven't dealt with any of it: what happened to me before I became a vampire, becoming a vampire, the drainers and now this. One more thing and I'm going to just fall to pieces."

"Me too," Sookie whispered softly.

For the first time in centuries my conscience made itself known and I felt bad for intruding on what was obviously a private moment between the two. Turning away to give them privacy I almost walked straight into Godric who had been standing behind me, also listening to the candidly vulnerable conversation in the kitchen.

"They might no longer truly exist in this time, but they are both of them warriors. They will face their demons and become the stronger for it," he said sagely, with a wisdom that could only come from centuries of experience.

**

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A/N:** Well, there you go. I think it's a little unrealistic, fae or not, that Sookie hasn't had some sort of complete mental breakdown by this stage in the books/show.

Two more things...  
1. The next chapter is written. I just have to type it up and edit it, but I don't know when I'm going to have time to do that.  
2. I'm seriously contemplating (again!) ending this fic soon and then continuing on in a sequel. After Nan Flanagan zooms in and throws a tanty is starting to look like a good place to finish off. Let me know what you think.

Finally, I haven't been responding to reviews for the last few chapters, but I have been reading them and absorbing your comments and kind words. I'll get to them eventually (they're gathering dust in my inbox) so keep sending happy vibes.


	45. Confrontations

**Disclaimer:** There is a lot of recycled dialogue in here, full credit goes to the writers of True Blood.

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**Part 45 - Confrontations**  
Bill's POV

I'd known Eric for decades and I hated him, despised him from the moment I had first laid eyes on him, every interaction with him leaving my mouth with a bitter taste; a curious reaction left over from when I was humans. I knew the feeling was mutual. However, I had no idea what I had done to earn his disdain.

Everything the Viking desired seemed to fall instantly into his hands without any effort on his part. I remembered how, a little over a century ago, he had waltzed into the Queendom of Louisiana and instantly been elevated to Sheriff of the State's second most lucrative territory. The other Sheriffs had bowed and scraped and spent time immeasurable ingratiating themselves with the Queen before receiving their positions. In retrospect, the Queen's barely concealed glee over securing Eric as Sheriff should have immediately alerted me to his age and reputation, but at the time it had only angered me that he had been accepted so easily.

The Sheriff's determination to sabotage my relationship with Sookie was incredibly frustrating and while Sookie's fate was sealed either way, only one route secured the Queen's favour for me. Besides, I was now well apprised of Eric's reputation and I knew that I was a far better choice for Sookie's protector despite Eric's superior age and strength.

She hadn't said anything and neither had Eric, but Lorena's arrival in Dallas could not have been merely coincidence. I still didn't fully understand Eric's motivations, but his scheming had temporarily thrown ice water on Sookie's and my relationship. Until I worked out what Eric's endgame was, it would be incredibly difficult to counter his machinations. I only hoped that he didn't know about the Queen's plans, not only would it make it hard for me to curry favour, but it would alert Eric to the fact that the Queen no longer trusted him. Something that I knew was incredibly important to the Viking: trust and honour.

Several minutes passed before I saw Eric and Godric moving away from the kitchen and into the impressive gathering of humans and vampires, the Dallas Sheriff had eyed me curiously as he passed me stalking away from the kitchen. After a few more minutes, Adrienne and Sookie emerged also, talking amicably, Adrienne holding a partially drunk bottle of TruBlood. She looked far healthier than she had at the Fellowship of the Sun Church.

"A case of TruBlood can do wonders," Sookie laughed.

"I was thirsty," Adrienne responded incredulously, glaring playfully at my human.

Thus far my evening had not been going at all well and when a hush fell over the room as Lorena entered, I knew that my night was going to go from bad to worse. I dared to hope for a moment when her eyes moved straight past me and it became apparent that I was not the vampire she was seeking. My relief was short lived, however, when she spied Sookie and moved directly to her side.

"You must be Sookie," she said without preamble, instantly capturing Sookie and Adrienne's attention as well as much of the room. "Hmmm, yes, you're what all the fuss is about."

Sookie and Adrienne didn't say anything for a moment, before Sookie finally broke the silence. "Excuse me?"

"Aren't you a morsel?" Lorena commented, her eyes raking over Sookie's body.

"Who are you? I've never seen you before," Adrienne asked warily, giving Lorena a quick once over. Her relaxed stance revealing that she found Lorena lacking.

"We have a mutual friend," Lorena continued addressing Sookie, practically ignoring Adrienne's question which was a mistake given her status within this nest. She did finally answer Adrienne though. "I'm Lorena... I just came to see what all the fuss was about and to issue a warning."

Adrienne snorted in amusement and I rushed over to intervene before Lorena embarrassed me further.

"Lorena, you need to leave," I hissed at her. I'm sure my words were soft enough that Sookie couldn't hear, but Adrienne could and her amusement over the situation increased.

"Oh, hello darling, I was just getting to know your plaything. You always did like to prey on the innocent," she purred before turning her attention back to Sookie. "Did you know your boyfriend hit me over the head with a fifty-two inch plasma screen television earlier tonight? Everyone always they're so thin and light. But let me tell you when wielded properly, it's quite a weapon."

"Perhaps you should take the hint?" Sookie suggested. Adrienne quickly took a sip of her drink to his her laughter.

The conversation was rapidly moving into dangerous territory as Sookie continued to provoke Lorena. Godric, Eric and a high ranking lieutenant of the Texan King, Jehan, were all watching the confrontation carefully. I was certain that at least one of them would have intervened already if the whole exchanger hadn't been so amusing to Adrienne. She was just like Eric, she was barely a year old and already powerful vampires were falling over themselves to give her what she wanted.

"Bill is _mine_ and you would do well to remember it," Lorena snarled, placing extra emphasis on the word 'mine'.

"Okay, but he's not my boyfriend," Sookie told her calmly. "I don't want him, he's all yours."

I was both relieved and angered by her casual comment. While it was smart not to anger Lorena any further, what did she mean that she didn't want me?

As I expected, Sookie's words appeased Lorena. At least they did, until a moment later when her fangs popped out in anger. "What do you mean you don't want him? Are you suggesting that you could take him if you wanted?"

"Well, you did say he hit you with a flat screen in an attempt to escape you," Sookie reminded Lorena with a smirk that would put Eric's to shame.

The wild look that flashed across Lorena's eyes in the moment before she lunged for Sookie terrified me. She was my Maker, there was no way that I was strong enough to stop her and Adrienne was far too young and weak to be of any assistance. Lorena had barely moved before Godric's hand was wrapped around her throat.

"Retract your fangs," the Sheriff's tone brooked no arguments. "Now, I neither know nor care who you are, but in this Area and certainly in this nest, I am the authority. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sheriff," Lorena practically mumbled.

"This human has proven to be a courageous and loyal friend to our kind and yet you treat her like a child does a dragonfly. Pulling off wings for sport, no wonder they hate us," Godric admonished.

"She provoked me," Lorena started to protest before she was silenced by a sharp look.

"And you have provoked me. You have disrupted the peace in my own home. I could snap you like a twig and I haven't. Why is that?" Godric asked.

"It's your choice," Lorena responded sulkily.

"Indeed it is. You're old vampire. I can tell. You've had hundreds of years to better yourself, yet you are still a savage. I fear for us all, humans and vampires, if this behaviour persists... I want you out of my Area before sunrise," Godric said, studying Lorena for a moment before turning to me. "You seem familiar with her, please escort her out."

I didn't even hesitate; it would have been an exercise in futility to argue after such a display of raw power.

Lorena's attempt at salvaging her pride as she made the walk of shame out of the nest under the curios gaze of ever human and vampire there was actually quite admirable, but no amount of grace and poise could counter the dressing down she had just received. We were silent as we walked outside.

"I don't know how it got this way, I can't help that I still love you. You know I do, but now it has become a constant humiliation," Lorena said once we were safely outside.

"The pain you suffer you have inflicted upon yourself."

"When will we see each other again?" she asked, blood gathering in her eyes.

"Never," I told her firmly and confidently.

"We're immortal; our paths are bound to cross eventually."

I remained silent. There was nothing I could say.

"This isn't over," she vowed before disappearing into the night. Her statement was reminiscent of something a cartoon villain would say, it would have been funny had I not known that Lorena meant every word.

I wasn't able to consider for very long what form her revenge would take before there was an explosion from within the Sheriff's home. The sound of squealing tires snapped me to attention and I took off after the white van that was careening down the residential street. In mere moments, long before any of the human neighbours could make it to their windows I had caught the van and was returning to the nest, leaving in my wake evidence of the unfortunate consequences of speeding: a van wrapped around a power pole complete with four corpses inside.

**

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A/N:** That should keep your minds working for a little while. I hope this reads okay, I had a nasty time incorporating the actually dialogue from the episode into this chapter since it needed to be altered a bit to fit the new scene.

You do and don't know what's coming next, some of the events will follow the show and some won't.


	46. Fallout

**Disclaimer:** All due credit to the writers of True Blood and Charlaine Harris.

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**Part 46 – Fallout  
**Adrienne's POV

Chaos. That was the only way to describe it. That it all happened so quickly was the most surprising thing. I was talking with Sookie and Godric intervened. Bill was there with that other vampire and then she almost attacked Sookie. Eric was there too at the church and later at the nest. Sookie looked at the man and stiffened. Finally, Godric made Bill take that other vampire away and then there was a man in a bulky coat.

"I have a message for you all from Reverend Steven Newlin," he said.

Then everything exploded.

It was quite possibly the scariest thing ever, it all happened really fast, but at the same time really slowly. I saw everything and nothing of what happened in those next few seconds. I think the vampire part of me saw everything and the human part of me saw nothing and I'm pretty sure that the vampire part moved me behind a wall. I think Eric's human part moved him in front of Sookie. I felt bad that I just left Sookie there, but I had other things to worry about right now; that part of me that was purely vampire was in charge now. My fangs were fully extended, ready to fend off any other attacks, my eyes scanning the debris keeping watch for danger and trying to see if anyone saw me move too fast.

The scene was incredibly confronting. The house was still standing, but the living room had been devastated by the blast. Keening sounds of semi-conscious humans and the groans of injured vampires floated through the air and every surface imaginable was splattered with blood and chunks of humans and vampires who were too close to the bomb when it went off. Once I had noted that Eric, Godric, Isobel and Sookie had survived, I stopped looking too closely. The scene was similar to how I imagined a battlefield would look after a bloody battle, complete with Isobel moving through the fallen checking for survivors.

"I sucked silver out of Eric's chest to save his life, even though I didn't really want to," I heard Sookie say and when I looked over I saw her and Bill standing over a very smug looking Eric who was still lounging on the ground.

"She was superb," Eric's smug voice agreed.

"Eric was in no danger," Bill corrected her, his voice resigned.

"A tiny falsehood," Eric agreed in the same smug tone, a hint of mocking in his voice.

"No, no, no!" Sookie cried in horror, stomping her foot which would have been funny if the situation weren't so serious.

"You're connected now, he'll be able sense your emotions," Bill continued, doing a very poor job of consoling the distraught Sookie.

"No," Sookie exclaimed again as she threw herself into Bill's embrace.

"I believe you're right, Bill," Eric commented conversationally. "I do believe I can sense her emotions."

"You're a big lying a-hole," Sookie spat at him, her distress lessening the sting of her words.

"You're pathetic, Eric, having to resort to trickery to get her to taste your blood and sway her emotions," Bill accused Eric, tightening his grip on Sookie.

"As opposed to you who fed her your blood practically the night you met," Eric countered, suddenly on his feet.

"I was saving her life," Bill defended his actions.

"Convenient," Eric all but snarled in a low voice.

"I think that's more than enough," I said, stepping up to the trio, having decided that someone needed to intervene before this went any further. "Sookie is clearly shaken by everything that has happened and you two aren't helping. Now clearly isn't the time, but if you want to know what the implications are of ingesting vampire blood are, I'll be happy to share what I know."

I address the last part to Sookie. Both Eric and Bill looked as though they wanted to tear me to pieces for interfering and for offering to explain the effects of vampire blood. Bill guided Sookie away from us, but I was given a reprieve from Eric's wrath by Godric calling order to the chaos. "Everyone, make your way to the Hotel Carmilla, they have been informed of our arrival and have increased security accordingly."

Eric and I both moved towards Godric. I could tell that Eric still wanted to say something to me, but we were both too concerned by Godric's silence to focus on our previous argument. After a few minutes of silence, Godric started to leave the nest and both Eric and I followed him out. We were silent on the trip to the hotel and we refrained from saying anything until we made it to Eric's rooms, once there, Eric's anger was unleashed.

"What was the meaning of your interference?" Eric snarled, his ferocity startling Godric and me.

"Sookie was completely overwhelmed," I reasoned. "She couldn't deal with the events of the last few days, the bombing and then yours and Bill's pissing contest. She needed a break."

"You overstepped your bounds," Eric continued to snarl, now towering over me and clearly not listening to a thing I was trying to say.

His stance and his words were so combative that Godric had stepped forward during our confrontation, ready to intervene on my behalf if Eric looked as though he was going to lash out at me physically.

"I was protecting your interests. If you had carried on as you were you would have completely alienated her," I tried to calmly explain my logic to Eric. Eric was barely listening to me while Godric was fixated on even the slightest twitch.

"I am not interested in Bill Compton's human," Eric bit out.

"The _human_ is called Sookie," I corrected Eric.

"And she's at the door," added Godric.

Sure enough, as soon as these words passed Godric's lips there was a timid knock at the door. The three of us hesitated for a moment before I rolled my eyes and went to open the door. Sookie was freshly showered and had donned fresh clothing, but the drawn look her face held betrayed the fact that all was not well.

"Umm, you said you'd explain what drinking vampire blood does," Sookie hesitantly explained the reason for her visit, eying Eric and Godric warily.

"Of course, do you want to come in?" I invited before thinking better of it. "Or we could go downstairs if you're not comfortable with Eric and Godric being here."

"Oh no, it's quite alright," Sookie quickly objected. "I'm sure they probably know more about it anyway."

"Yes, I'm sure they do," I agreed as I ushered her into the room and we both settled into opposite corners of one of the large leather sofas in the suite. "How 'bout I just tell you everything I know?"

"I think that's a good idea," Sookie shyly agreed. "All I know is that vampire blood can heal and increases your sex drive."

"That's all he told you? There's more information than that on the internet," I exclaimed incredulously.

Up until this point Eric and Godric had been politely ignoring our conversation, but Sookie's admission caught their attention. Clearly, Bill had only disclosed those effects that would be immediately apparent to the drinker and nothing more.

"Okay," I said, taking a deep and completely unnecessary breath before I started. It was about time Sookie got some solid facts. "I suppose you can break the effects of sharing blood into effects on the human and the effects on the vampire."

Sookie's surprised expression caused me to pause for a moment in my explanation.

"Yes, the vampire is also affected, that's why it is usually pretty rare for a vampire to share blood with a human. Blood is our life force, what gives us life and strength," I said, continuing after receiving Sookie's nod of ascent. Eric and Godric were still paying careful attention to us, no doubt ready to intervene if I revealed too much information. "I'll explain the effects on the human first."

"The healing properties and the effect on your libido you already know about," I continued my impromptu lecture. "But vampire blood also increases your metabolism, energy levels, brain activity, and makes you stronger. If you keep ingesting blood regularly your appearance will also be affected, your hair will be thicker, more lustrous, and grow faster, for example. This is the big one though; vampire blood creates an attraction, usually sexual, in the drinker for the vampire. It's to help vampires to control and manipulate humans."

"Is that why Eric said it was convenient that Bill had to heal me using his blood?" Sookie asked suddenly. "Surely, no one's that manipulative... except Eric, of course."

"Actually, Eric may have lied, but he was pretty upfront about the whole thing," I corrected her. "Bill not explaining the effects his blood would have on you, now _that_ was manipulative."

The look of surprise that flitted across Eric's features when I defended him almost made me laugh, but I resisted so that he wouldn't have another reason to get angry with me.

"Oh my Lord," Sookie practically moaned, realisation dawning on her. "Bill wouldn't do that though, I mean, _you_ wouldn't do something that conniving would you?"

"Actually, I would, I already have," I told her with a bitter laugh. "It's in a vampire's nature to be ruthless, but I know for a fact that I was fairly ruthless before I became a vampire. Becoming a vampire just made it more pronounced."

"What have you done?" Sookie asked, her eyes widening in disbelief. Her belief that I was incapable of that level of deceit was a weird combination of insulting and flattering all at the same time.

"Nothing to you," I assured her with a smile. "I do have a tendency to play off the 'I'm-helpless-befriend-me-and-protect-me-from-harm' vibe that I seem to give off."

"Is that like a vampire super power?" Sookie asked, frowning in confusion.

"No, it's just me. Same sort of stuff used to happen when I was human too, I'm the person all of the sales assistants would flock to, even if I was only browsing," I laughed. "Now, before we forget completely, I'd better explain the effect sharing blood has on a vampire."

"Oh, I'd completely forgotten about that," a sheepish Sookie admitted.

"Righteous anger can do that," I commented wryly with an understanding nod of my head. "So, for a vampire, there's really only one effect. When they share their blood it creates a sort of connection and they can sense the general location and emotions of whoever they shared their blood with. It's similar to the connection between Childe and Maker, just without the 'As your Maker I command you' part."

"Okay, anything else?" Sookie asked battling with information overload.

"Just that the older the vampire, the stronger the blood, the stronger the effects," I concluded.

"Hold up, so now I've got some of Eric's blood, Bill can't sense me anymore?" she asked.

"No, Bill will be able to sense you until his blood leaves your system, but since Eric's blood is stronger it will override your attraction to Bill and all of your dreams should now star Eric instead."

"But I don't want to dream about Eric," Sookie exclaimed.

"Nothing to be done about it," Eric told her smugly.

"What if I drank some of Godric's blood?" Sookie asked. "He's even older than Eric so that should cancel out both his and Bill's blood right?"

"He's not offering," Eric practically growled.

"But it's not fair," Sookie cried, tears forming in her eyes. "I want to know what feelings are mine; I don't want to be all twisted up by vampire blood."

Before any of us could say anything a hard glint appeared in her eyes and her mouth set in a grim line. Releasing an angry, frustrated sound from the back of her throat, not unlike a growl, Sookie stormed out of the room.

"You'd better follow her," I told Eric. "If she's going to do what I think she is you're going to have to protect _your_ human from her former owner."

The withering glare Eric shot me as he made for the door would have caused nearly anyone else to instantly drop dead. I didn't understand why he couldn't admit that he wanted her; he was clearly intrigued by her. He would have experienced all of her emotions over these last few minutes, I though with a smile, I didn't envy him that rollercoaster ride.

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**A/N:** Just one update this time, it's a long one though, the longest chapter I've uploaded for this fic so far.

First, I have to apologise for not responding to reviews. FF isn't sending me notifications properly (or it is, but they come about a week after they should). I'm going to see if this chapter notification comes okay and they I'll go back through the reviews for the past two chapters are respond to questions etc.

Second, in the recent reviews there have been some comments that this is turning into an Eric/Sookie story and readers have been hoping for Godric and Adrienne to get together or at least do _something_. Don't worry, there's a method to my madness and this needs to happen, at present there is no foundation/catalyst for a relationship to develop between Adrienne and Godric... I'm fixing that right now.

Write me a review, I love hearing from you all.


	47. Realisations

**Disclaimer:** TrueBlood and anything recognisable (including some dialogue in this chapter) doesn't belong to me.

**Warning:** Coarse language in this chapter. I know its rated M, but there hasn't been any swearing crop up before so I thought I'd give you, the reader, a heads up.

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**Part 47 – Realisations**  
Godric's POV

The three weeks passed has been harrowing enough when considered in isolation. One didn't need to add the bombing and the perplexing events surrounding it, there was already more than enough to consider. The room was hardly a tranquil location devoted to contemplation at the minute, however, with Adrienne stalking hither and thither cursing the very creating of one William Compton. Despite her earlier admission that vampires were ruthless in the pursuit of their desires, Compton's actions towards the human still angered her. Although she had clearly taken very well to being a vampire, her inherent innocence and naivety was incredibly appealing. Perhaps that was the 'I'm-helpless-befriend-me-and-protect-me-from-harm ' vibe that she spoke of earlier? Regardless, Adrienne didn't seem to require my input so I tuned her out.

The bombing at the nest was the most pressing of the evening's events because while I've always understood the humans' fear of us, we are after all quite scary, and such an open attack against vampires will have many calling for all out war. That was not a desirable outcome for anyone, least of all the humans. Stan, who was arguably going to be the most vocal proponent of this war, was finally dead though. That, at least, was a positive outcome of the bombing.

Many interesting things had been illuminated by the bombing. Eric's interest and protectiveness of the human had been the most pleasing of these. It gave me hope that Eric could one day be redeemed and that he could reclaim his conscience before the end. I was considered to be a ruthless and especially formidable vampire, so if I could change, evolve, then Eric definitely could. The most perplexing thing had been Adrienne's speed. She had been closer to the bomb than many of the vampires who had perished in the blast. As a relative neophyte she should not have been able to take cover behind the wall as fast as she had, especially when significantly older vampires had been unable to evade the blast. She moved too quickly and judging by her furtive looks, she knew it. That and her bizarre relationship with my Childe was something that I resolved to ask her about later, for now, she had finally calmed down and would soon need to die for the day as dawn was fast approaching.

As I had grown accustomed sharing my rooms with Adrienne, she heated a bottle of TruBlood and settled beneath the covers to drink it. I knew from experience that almost the second she finished the bottle and placed it on her bedside table she would slip into her death sleep. I wasn't disappointed. What I was completely unprepared for was the fast that she did it all whilst clad only in her underwear.

"All my clothes were blown up," she had said with a casual shrug of her shoulders in response to my questioning look.

Adrienne had been out for only a few minutes before Eric re-entered the room, looking quizzically at Adrienne's clothing that she had strewn about the room.

"Apparently when the room is not her own she abandons all pretences of neatness," I told Eric. There was no obligation to explain anything to him, but I knew that he would jump to conclusions. "And as she so eloquently phrased it, all of her clothes were blown up."

Eric merely raised an eyebrow in response, nothing in my explanation appearing to dissuade him from jumping to conclusions.

"Sookie is very distressed after her discussion with Bill so I am taking her home. She isn't comfortable travelling alone so I will accompany her in a travel coffin, although I don't know what difference that will make," Eric informed me without preamble, muttering the last.

"She cannot wait until tomorrow evening?" I asked, more than a little surprised.

"Her confrontation with Bill was quite heated and most revealing, she just wants to return home as soon as possible," Eric explained, before answering my next question without any prompting on my part. "My Queen sent Bill to acquire Sookie, and more importantly her talent, for the Queen's use. That I was not trusted with this is extremely unsettling and I will have to re-evaluate my alliance with Sophie Anne. Either way the girl is mine."

"Very well," I dismissed Eric, only half heartedly paying attention to him leaving the suite as I was once again drawn into my thoughts by this new revelation. The Queen of Louisiana's cavalier attitude with respect to my Childe's allegiance was troubling. It had clearly left him questioning his loyalty to her, a valuable piece of information that the King of Texas will be very interested in and that as his Sheriff I am duty bound to convey it to him. Eric, of course, would know this.

The next time I looked at a clock it was almost five in the evening. I didn't know whether I had simply lost track of time or drifted into a death sleep without realising it, either way, it was quite disconcerting. Not much later there was a knock at the door and a member of the hotel staff delivered a selection of clothing for Adrienne and myself, I could only assume that it was Eric's doing.

It was seven in the evening when Adrienne finally started to stir and I marvelled at how much rest she required. It was both a blessing and a curse. The call to sleep during the daylight hours really limited what you could do when you were a younger vampire, but now, as an older vampire, I found that I didn't have anything with which to occupy my extended waking hours. I wished I was still drawn into a death sleep just before the sun rose and woke again just after it had set. I missed the simplicity.

"There are clothes for you," I directed Adrienne's attention to the bags of clothing for her.

"When did you do this?" she asked.

"Eric," was all I said in response, as was usual, his name explained everything.

"Oh, where is he? Did he sleep here?" Adrienne frowned slightly as she fired off questions.

"He left for Louisiana shortly after you retired. Sookie was very distressed after her conversation with Mr. Compton and wanted to go home right away," I explained, taking note of her furrowed brow. Her concern for Eric continued to be a point of intrigue.

"Do you want me to retrieve Isobel? Her room is just down the hall and I know there must be a tonne of Sheriff stuff that you need to do," Adrienne visibly struggled to shift her train of thought and was already moving towards the door as she spoke.

I didn't try to stop her. Instead, as she no doubt intended, I started to make mental lists of everything that would need to be done as a result of her kidnapping and the destruction of my nest. Unfortunately for Adrienne, I also filed her reaction to Eric's departure and her reluctance to discuss it away with a wealth of other tiny observations that I would be confronting her with later, but for not I needed to concentrate on being Sheriff. There was much to be done.

"Sheriff," Isobel greeted me as she entered the room, her face grim.

"Isobel," I intoned the customarily formal response to her greeting. All the while noting that Adrienne had also re-entered the room and rather than joining us had settled herself a respectful distance away, creating the illusion that she was respecting our privacy and couldn't overhear the conversation. Such a consideration would be expected of any other vampire in my retinue, but from a vampire who had always taken it upon herself to sit in on all of my meetings, official or otherwise, and who usually did so seated on my desk, this was exceptionally unusual behaviour.

"Flanagan expects us at a meeting in just under an hour," Isobel informed me, skipping straight to business. "I have already informed Jehan and Flanagan expects Adrienne to be there also, Eric too."

"Eric has already returned to Louisiana," I told Isobel, not bother to furnish her with the details that I gave Adrienne. "Besides, he is not of this Area, yet alone this Kingdom; there is nothing to call for his presence."

"Nothing to call for his presence?" Isobel asked incredulously. "He is the one who brought the human who infiltrated the church and confirmed that Adrienne was there!"

"Humans, Isobel, despite our foray into their society they still hold no importance within our own and as such since Eric's only tie to the entire situation is a human there is no call for his presence at Flanagan's rather ill-timed meeting," I explained, my tone clearly challenging Isobel to disagree with me.

"Godric," Isobel pled with me. "The opportunistic vampire is out for blood, there will be enough problems to contend with without openly challenging her desire to have Eric present at the meeting."

"Perhaps, but he is already gone," I said resignedly. "If she had informed us of the meeting sooner..."

"You would have done the exact same thing," Isobel told me, her voice a mixture of accusation and affection. "In this you need to look out for your own interests for once, even if you don't crave power like so many others."

"It's time to go," I announced, effectively ending the discussion. Isobel looked as though she still wished to argue with me, so I spoke again to cease any further arguments, "What's done is done."

Flanagan had commandeered a suite not far from my hotel room for this meeting and upon entering I could scent Sookie; these rooms must have been hers and Compton's. The vampire in question was sitting stiffly, if not a little smugly, on a sofa to Flanagan's left. Jehan was stationed next to Compton so Isobel and I sat opposite them on the remaining sofa. Again, to my surprise, Adrienne didn't insinuate herself into the meeting and seated herself off to the side. Her uncharacteristically quiet demeanour was starting to concern me.

There were no pleasantries exchanged before Flanagan launched into her diatribe, "Do you have any fucking idea of the PR mess you've made? And who has to fucking clean that up? Me, not you, me, we should drain every one of you bastards."

"Stan went to the church on his own, none of us knew anything about it," I was surprised by Jehan's immediate defence.

"Oh, really, because everyone who met Stan in the last three-hundred years knew that he had a kink about slaughtering humans, but you, his nest-mates, his sheriff had no clue?" Flanagan asked with disbelief.

"And how were we supposed to know that this time he meant it?" Isobel interjected indignantly.

"Not my problem, yours," Flanagan practically spat the words at me.

"Don't talk to him like way," Adrienne's quiet voice interjected from across the room.

"Don't talk to me that way," Flanagan snapped in response. "Let's get to the point, Sheriff. How'd they manage to abduct her?"

"We were summoned to my King's compound, Adrienne stayed behind so that someone was contactable at the nest while we were away," I explained.

Flanagan didn't say anything in response. The vampire just levelled a glare at me as if she were daring me to make a mistake.

"You must acknowledge that they would've taken one of us sooner or later," I eventually offered in an attempt to move the meeting along.

"I think you're out of you mind to leave such a valuable individual unprotected and then I hear about a traitor..." Flanagan started to berate me once again.

"Irrelevant, only a rumour, I'll take full responsibility," I interjected quickly. Hugo's part in the affair was unfortunate, but there was no reason for Isobel to be punished also.

"You bet your ass you will," Flanagan exclaimed and I had the distinct impression that this meeting was merely a formality and that she already had the paperwork drawn up.

"I will resign from all positions of authority and I recommend Isobel to take my place," I told the room, I couldn't see any point in fighting the inevitable.

"Godric," Isobel exclaimed in shocked surprise.

"No," Adrienne interrupted again. This time her voice wasn't soft, it was forceful and there was a lot of anger behind it.

"Do not interfere in matters that are beyond you," Flanagan sneered. "Or perhaps you would prefer it if the Sheriff were sentenced to death?"

I'd only seen it once before now, but the speed with which Adrienne moved was impossibly fast for one as young as her. Her movements were easy for a vampire to track, but a human would no doubt have encountered difficult. The instant that the words had left Flanagan's mouth, Adrienne had straightened in her seat and within a fraction of a second Adrienne's hand was around the vampire's throat and she was pinned to the wall. Flanagan's guards were certainly taken by surprise.

"I would kill you first," Adrienne snarled. Despite what we knew of her age she cut a terrifying figure with her fangs distended and tracks of blood sliding down her cheeks.

"Do something," Flanagan snapped at her guards, but the impact of her words was lost as her throat struggled to form the words.

"No," the larger of the two guards told her in an accent that was probably once eastern European in origin.

"Your instructions were to do whatever she wanted and you appear to have upset the little one somewhat," the other said in response to Flanagan's eyes that were bulging in surprise and indignation.

"Godric," Isobel's voice was quiet and tentative as she implored me to take charge of the situation.

"Adrienne, put her down," I commanded, carefully not allowing any of my doubt creep into my voice. Adrienne had become an unknown quantity and I truthfully didn't know whether she would listen to me.

"Yes, Sheriff," she acquiesced sheepishly.

Everyone practically sighed in relief. None of us knew exactly what Adrienne might have done and while it was apparent that none of us cared whether Flanagan met her final death or not it would have been an unfortunate thing to have to explain.

"She's listening to you," Isobel said to me quietly. "Why don't you take her back to your room and I'll clear this mess up?"

While I didn't want to leave a fuming Nan Flanagan for Isobel to deal with, Adrienne was clearly at breaking point and needed to be removed from the situation as quickly as possible. A quick glance at the Flanagan's two very relived looking vampire guards convinced me that Isobel's was a good idea. I had a little trouble coaxing Adrienne from the room, but she seemed reluctant to let Flanagan out of her sight. I could have simply dragged her, feeling quite certain that I could overpower the young vampire, but I didn't think that it would help the situation; least of all Adrienne's mental state.

"What was that?" I asked Adrienne gently after I closed the door to our room.

"She was going to take you away," Adrienne sniffed pitifully, blood tears starting to stream down her face in earnest now.

I was at a complete loss for what to do. Humans might cry, but vampires rarely did and even if a vampire were to cry they weren't so simple as to display their weakness in front of others. As these panicked thoughts were rushing through my mind, Adrienne had started to babble incoherently.

"Eric left... she was going to make you leave... gone... he left... you're leaving... I don't want to be a vampire... I'm alone... Eric left and you were going to go too... I didn't ask for this..."

I'd been frozen in place for several minutes and finally decided to copy something I'd seen on a television show once before when a man wrapped his arms around his distraught girlfriend to comfort her. The act was incredibly awkward and I my movements were stilted, but I embraced Adrienne's shaking form. For the second-life of me I couldn't recall having ever done this as a human, no matter how long ago that was. Adrienne cried and mumbled incoherently for hours while I held her and as she did I thought about everything I'd noticed over the last few days and even before that. After several more hours had passed I steered her to the large bed, I didn't want her slipping into a death sleep whilst standing up. Another half hour passed before her crying abated. Looking down at her I saw that rather than stopping, she had slipped into a death sleep.

"If I didn't know better, I would think that Eric was your Maker," I whispered into Adrienne's hair, my musings having finally reached a conclusion.

* * *

**A/N:** I'm going to stop apologising for not updating consistently because as soon as I think everything in life has slowed down and I'll have plenty of time to write, something else crops up. Plus combine that with the fact I have another fic on the go and I'm attempting to alternate between the two and the updates become sporadic, and that's being quite generous! Let's just agree that I suck and be done with it...

This has been another long chapter at least. If you're still with me,** leave a review** and share your thoughts (I often steal ideas from reviewers or get inspired to take the story in a direction I hadn't considered before). Also, if you haven't already, **add The Story of How I Became a Vampire to your Story Alerts** which will help you keep on top of my shoddy updates :)

xxx

**ADDENDUM - Addressing future updates**  
I just wanted to leave a note advising that this story hasn't been abandoned, I've just transitioned from uni student to full time employment which makes a significant difference to my writing time - I have practically none. For this reason I want to get a solid number of chapters written, if not the story completed, before I start uploading again so at the very least readers have something to read before I get caught up in life again.

I know this message is going to pass older readers by, but I think this note is much nicer than adding a brand new chapter with this message because that would create all sorts of false hope as I often initially think author's note chapters are updates and it's a real let down.

As of writing this update (18-Sep-13) I have **4** chapters completed, but unpublished.


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